A-Z African Dance Moves (YouTube video, alphabetized list, and comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents a YouTube video that showcases popular African dances in 2020. The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to all the creators of these dances and thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the vlogger who published these videos on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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A - Z African Dance Moves 2020

Fireup Dance, May 27, 2020

Here are some of our favorite African Dance moves ! It was really hard choosing just one for each letter because there are SO many amazing moves from all over the continent ! We do not claim to be the best or do execute each move exactly as it was created but we hope to inspire you to do some research & learn about our beautiful cultures ! 😜 #SprdLove

**** Edited by Azizi Powell This pancocojams post showcases a May 27, 2020 YouTube video in which three African women perform short moves from various African urban dances. When I first clicked on this video, I thought that it was going to showcase the African dance moves that were created or popularized in 2020. However, some of the comments in this video's discussion thread implied or indicated that many of these dances are "old", and some may be traditional to a particular African ethnic group.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to the dancers that are featured in this video and thanks to all those who are associated with this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this video. **** ALPHABETIZED LIST OF THESE FEATURED DANCES

Here are the dances that are featured in this video along with their nation of origin: A- Azonto (Ghana) B- Bella (Angola)

C - Chokobodi (Ghana) D- Dingi Dingi- Uganda E - Etighi (Nigeria) F - Fimbu (Congo) G - Gweta (Togo) H - Hlokolosa (South Africa) I -Idibala (South Africa) J - Jazze (Gabon) K - Kpakujema (Nigeria) L - Leg work (Nigeria) M - Maplory (Cote d'Ivoire)

N - Network (Ghana) O - Odi (Kenya) P - Poco (Nigeria) Q - Questions (Nigeria) R - Runyege (Uganda) S - Shaku Shaku (Nigeria) T - Telli (Ghana) U - Umbre (Nigeria) V - Voshu (South Africa) W - Wango (Senegal) X- X-Am (Nigeria)

Y - Yahooze (Nigeria) Z-Zanku (Nigeria)

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0MDX0bI5TE&ab_channel=FireUpDance

(Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.) 1. Emmanuel Abore, 2020
"Basically a Nigerian dance tutorial.... Lmao... my people got moves..."

**
Reply
2. FireUp Dance, 2021
"LOL guilty ! We need to diversify even more next time ! "...

** 3. Stephen .V, 2020

"This is lit..but u forgot about gwara gawra frm SA and pilolo frm GH." ** Reply 4. Nina Bai, 2020 "We would have loved to add all the dances because they are all so beautiful and it was hard to pick just one for each letter!! Subscribe and look out for version 2 ! Yaaay😍💗" -snip- Nina Bai is the same person as the video publisher "FireUp Dance". ** Reply 5. Eudy James, 2020 "Choreographers were mainly focused on Nigerian moves how can one leave out gwara gwara."

** Reply 6. Mine Akpotu, 2020 " @Nina Bai ooooo! I was wondering y there were so many Nigerian steps. It was alphabetical ** Reply 7. FireUp Dance, 2021 "@mine akpotu we will add more steps from different countries for Part 2! "...**

8. Reply FireUp Dance, 2021 "Everyone knows gwara gwara already lol 😂"

** 9. dogpack on_tour, 2020
"Where i can find just that song? Love it! (I love the dance also tho!) 🥰"

**
Reply
10. FireUp Dance, 2020
"So glad you like it!!! The song is Wo! By Olamide !"...

** 11. Collen Matsepe, 2020 "This video is biased.There so many dances from other African countries that are best and which deserved representation. Another thing is that it is not easy to tell which dance move belong to which country because Africans are dancers naturally and most of their dance moves are much more similar if not the same.Some countries just have their dance moves enjoying media coverage and not necessarily b'coz they are the best or top those of other country.Videos like this one are never fairly representative b'coz they always contain an element of bias."
** 12. Rachel McClain, 2020

"I expected to find Coupe Decale or Ndombolo, but I love this anyways! :)"

**
Reply
13. FireUp Dance, 2021
"Those are amazing dance styles with so many individual moves !!! We would love to add them in our part 2 !"....

** 14. Tiktok Funnies Videos, 2020
"Gabonese urban dance is Ntcham... Jazze is died"

**
Reply
15. FireUp Dance, 2021

"Ouuuuu yes good to know !! We will be adding this to our next video !!"...

**
16. Wayfaring Stranger, 2020

"Very good but that "yahooze" was weak... y'all didn't do it right. Everything else was on point. Nice one. 🔥🔥🔥🔥"

**
Reply
17. FireUp Dance, 2020
"Hahah true! Thank you so much for your feedback!"...

** 18. Beatrice Mubengwa, 2020 "Good job😍🔥🔥 but Zambia has chimwemwe dance... check it out" ** Reply 19. FireUp Dance, 2020 "Amazing ! Would love to learn more Zambian dances !!!!😍" ** 20. Elvira Hancock, 2020

"Im actually a little dissapointed you didnt include north africa! Did you guys forget we’re also african 🤣" ** Reply 21. FireUp Dance, 2021 "You are very right ! We need to add more from East & North Africa !"...

** 22. Seynabou, 2020 "Oh😍😍! Thank you so much for including the Wango which is a traditionnal Fulani dance ( i'm fulani😍)..

That's wonderful😘

🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳❤"

** 23. Happy Helloz, 2020 "Uoohh thank you for adding in runyege ntogoro from Uganda though its more elaborate than that kudos" ** Reply 24. FireUp Dance, 2020 "Ahhh thank you soo much! Our goal was to make people more curious to dive deeper and do some research by showing it in a simple, fun & easy to digest way ! I would love to learn all the details of all the dances because our cultures are so beautiful😍

** 25. M Kneenja, 2020 "Only one dance from Congo lololol In what universe?!!?!?!? YOU SACRILEGIOUS ANGLOPHONES wags finger" ** Reply 26. FireUp Dance, 2021 "LOLOL guilty ! Maybe it’s because you Congolese are toooo 🔥 for us to even try to keep up ?!"...

** 27. Juliet Danquah, 2021 "Zanku is Ghana kwasia"

** Reply 28. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Chai! Aponkye don’t be rude o 😅

Zanku is currently known and popularized by Nigeria. ALOT of these ‘new dances’ are remakes of old traditional steps from different African countries so maybe it even started in Angola? We don’t know. All we know is that African is beautiful and diverse and has plenty amazing dancers and dance moves. We love Ghana o ! Corner dem dance is a jam right now 😅😝🎊 Peace & love ❤️"

** 29. Grace Maina, 2020 "The odi from Kenya, you did not do it any justice. Please do more research"

** Reply 30. FireUp Dance, 2020 "Learned it from my Kenyan friend but would love to see more; kindly share some videos 😍♥️"

** 31. _tunge, 2020 "The Odi though?" ** Reply 32. FireUp Dance, 2020 "We promise to do better next time 🥰

at least now people who didn’t know it will research 🥰"

** 33. Sasorah, 2020 "The dance after zanku"

** Reply 34. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Gbeku dance is what the middle dancer was doing after zanku ! Hope that helps 🙌🏾🥰"

** 35. Shirley Tatha, 2020 "I am Kenyan... the odi wasn't as precise but thank you for including us!!! PS: I can't even do it myself so 🤷🏾‍♀️"

** Reply 36. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Hahah thank you for understanding and appreciating our effort & love !"... ** 37. Lorie Jamaican Natural, 2020
"Jamaica 🇯🇲 and Africa is so similar with dance moves"

** 38. Rachel McClain, 2020 "I expected to find Coupe Decale or Ndombolo, but I love this anyways! :)" ** Reply 39. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Those are amazing dance styles with so many individual moves

!!! We would love to add them in our part 2 !"...

** 40. BRWNSKN, 2021 "The reason I gave this video a 👎🏾Don't caption "Africa Dances From A-Z" as a whole when in all honesty you show 10 Nigerian dances, 4 Ghanaian dances and a couple of dances from a couple of other places 😒 THAT JUST AIN'T RIGHT!. I'm at least 6th generation American, and I know more a diverse amount of African countries dances than that. And, I bet y'all are Nigerian.🙄"

** Reply 41. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Only one of the girls is Nigerian ! But your point is very fair ! Thank you for your feedback!! Hoping to do better next time !"...

** 42. I believe🌸, 2021 "Iam sorry iam from angola and this bela is not the bella that i know from angola so maybe repost and do a better representation (no trying to be shady?) at all." ** Reply 43. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Thank you so much for the feedback!!

Education is so so important ! 😉Apologies for the typo"... ! "... ** 44. Pesi Belau, 2021 "Well done but you need more life in Fimbu......I didn't recognise it.

BTW I am Congolese" ** Reply 45. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Ahhhh okay first of all; you Congolese people can dance o!!!!! Chai!! Waistlines straight from heaven!!! Thank you for blessing us with your beautiful culture ! We will work on our Fimbu!"...

** 46. MERCY Wambui, 2021
"They kinda got odi from Kenya 🇰🇪 wrong

But they tried regardless 🔥"

**
Reply
47. FireUp Dance, 2021
"Hahah thank you for seeing our effort !"...

** 48. latichina5, 2021 "What? No ndombolo? The mother of all dances!!!!" ** Reply 49. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Ahhhh Congolese dance and culture is toooo 🔥🔥🔥🔥 We will add it in next time !"...

** 50. Rinitutu, 2021 "Just seeing the yahooze is giving me serious blasts from the past.

Outstanding job ladies.👏🏾👏🏾"

** Reply 51. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Hahah yes !!! The good days!!"...

** 52. ALAMO BEXAR, 2021 "SO MUCH SAUCE! This makes me proud to be black.

Something about watching your relatives across the ocean living in our truth that makes me soo happy.

** 53. Yonas Berhané, 2021 "Okay, I don't want to sound like a fault finder but, ladies, come on you forgot "Eskesta!!" A representation of Ethiopia. I was waiting on that"

** Reply 54. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Ahhh we love Eskista & East Africa as a whole !! We promise to add more of that for part 2! "...

** 55. Mai Vançon, 2021 "1:43 I’ve seen the Wango dance move from the Philippines.

It’s part of a traditional dance." ** Reply 56. FireUp Dance, 2021 "That’s amazing !!! All our cultures are intertwined somehow !!"...

** 57. Yahmar, 2021 "Hmmmm us “African-Americans” and our brothers and sisters on the islands have very similar moves, pretty much the same. Its in the blood!!!!!!!

** Reply 58. FireUp Dance, 2021 "Facts only !! Even our music is being blended more and more !"....

** 59. allegra, 2021 "I m congolese and the etighi dance we dance it on congo years ago 

Felix wazekwa 🎶nzoto maman 🎶.if you re congolese you know what I m talking about"

** 60. EVANS, 2021 "It would be cool to see african dances beside the caribbean dances beside the african american dances and see how we all have the same dances at one time or another WITHOUT studying each other"

** 61. Rebecca M., 2021 "this video just prove that africa created all the moves that people use in america,france,Uk and world wide to dance 🇨🇩🇨🇩🇨🇩🇨🇩🇨🇩

I love this and guys congo has more dance move then just (fimbu) maybe you guys din't congolese people dance at all but they got a lot of move but no one give them attention that why no one knows it moves"

** Reply 62. FireUp Dance, 2021 "We promise to add more Congolese moves next time! What are your favorite moves?"

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"Coming To America" African Dance & She's Your Queen Song

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents information about the 1988 American movie Coming To America and showcases two scenes from that movie - the African Dance routine and the "She's Your Queen" song. The addendum to this post features a clip of the Jackson Mississippi Dancing Dolls performing an African dance routine that reminds me of that Coming To America dance routine.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, the choreographers of these dance routines, the composer of the featured song, and the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE "COMING TO AMERICA" MOVIE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_to_America
"Coming to America is a 1988 American comedy film directed by John Landis, and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also starred in the lead role. The film also co-stars Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones and John Amos. The film was released in the United States on June 29, 1988.

Eddie Murphy plays African crown prince, Akeem Joffer, from the fictional nation of Zamunda, who comes to the United States in the hopes of finding a woman he can marry."...

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: CTA - "African" Tribal Dance

.

kulaice, Uploaded on Aug 5, 2011

From the movie "Coming to America".

Choreography : Paula Abdul

Choreography Assistants: Cindy Montoya & Aurorah Allain

***After noticing a lot of commentary on the authenticity of the dance not being from Africa I decided to add quotes to the title, "African" to avoid confusion. The nation of Zamunda is a fictitious land based on an idea and original script by Art Buchwald and is not from the real Africa. :)
-snip-
A section of the "Coming To America" Wikipedia page whose link is given above provides information about the Art Buchwald lawsuit which is mentioned in this summary statement.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO - SHE'S YOUR QUEEN

She's Your Queen



Project360 Media & Design, Published on May 3, 2012

Ohan sings a song for Akeem's wedding

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LYRICS
She's your Queen to be.
A Queen to be forever.
A Queen who'll do whatever his Highness desires.

She's your Queen to be.
A vision of perfection.
An object of affection
To quench your royal fire,
Completely free from infection
To be used at your discretion,
Waiting only for your direction.
Your Queen to be.

Source: http://www.kgbanswers.co.uk/lyrics-to-shes-your-queen-song-sung-by-coloured-fello-in-coming-to-america-eddie-murphy/3117922

Editor's Note: "Coloured" ("Colored") was used as a referent for Black Americans in the early to mid 20th century. However, in spite of that referent remaining in the name for the national civil rights organization "National Association For Colored People", it's inappropriate to use "Colored" as a referent for Black Americans. Since at least the 1970s the accepted referents for that population are "African American" and/or "Black". "African American" is always spelled with the first two letters of that word capitalized. When used as a referent for that population, it's acceptable to capitalize or not capitalize the "b" in the word "Black".

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ADDENDUM: DANCING DOLLS AFRICAN DANCE ROUTINE
Compare this routine with the one given above from the Coming To America movie.

Bring It!: Full Dance: African Tribal Dance (S1, E3)



Lifetime, Published on Mar 20, 2014

Watch the full African Tribal dance routine, in this video extra from Episode 3 (The Wig is Off) of Bring It!

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

African Dancing - Assane Thiam Contemporary Sabar Dance Group (Senegal)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases four videos of Senegal, West Africa's Assane Thiam Contemporary Sabar Dance Group. Information about tama drums and links to information about Sabar dancing are also provided in this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

INFORMATION ABOUT ASSANE THIAM
From http://www.allmusic.com/artist/assane-thaim-mn0000528360
"A member of Youssou N'Dour's band since the mid-'70s, Assane Thiam is one of the foremost masters of the tama (talking drum). According to http://www.geocities.com/jbenhill/tama.html, Assane's "reputation as a virtuoso tama player is similar to the reputation of a western guitarist like Jimi Hendrix." Thiam played an important role in the early development of Senegal's pop-like mbalax music, forming Etoile De Dakar, with percussionist Babacar Faye, in 1975. With the arrival of N'Dour two years later, the group was re-christened Super Etoile De Dakar. In addition to his work with N'Dour, Thiam lent his melodic tama playing to albums by Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, and Harry Belafone. On his own, he's continued to explore traditional Wolof chanting. Together with his brother, Yamar Thiam, a popular session player in Finland, Thiam formed an 18 piece ensemble of tama players and dancers."
-snip-
INFORMATION ABOUT TAMA DRUMS
From http://www.umbc.edu/eol/5/mangin/
"Popularly known as the talking drum because of its ability to mimic and articulate speech, the tama drum can be found throughout West Africa in different contexts, manifestations and names such as dundun in Nigeria (Euba 1990). The talking drum plays a crucial role in ceremonies and festivities such as weddings, life-cycle events, child-naming ceremonies, and wrestling matches. The instrument and its cultural relevance carry over into popular music genres as a marker of identity and vibrant connection between traditional practices and modernity. For example, the tama can be found in the popular music of Senegal such as mbalax (a blend of traditional Senegalese sabar drumming, Afro-Cuban music, African pop, and western pop). Likewise, the dundun in the jùjú music is prominent in Nigerian night life, ariya weddings, birthdays and funerals (Waterman 1990). Internationally, the tama can be heard in groups led by Senegalese Baaba Maal and Youssou N'Dour or in various world beat ensembles."

FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: assane thiam-mame



joemame1, Uploaded on Dec 29, 2008
tama, mbalakh, sabar
-snip-
Here's an excerpt from a thesis written by Sophie Schouwenaar(now Sophie Ndoye) which provides information about the role of men in Sabar dancing:
"...For the Senegalese, shifted gender relations are more easily accepted. Men who dance are now tolerated, people seem to ignore the non-masculine nature of their dancing and the fact that traditionally, sabar dancing is considered women’s affairs...

Nonetheless, sabar events are still relatively intimate women’s domains, even though they take place outside the private bonds of the household and men penetrate in these domains. The female spectators function as a wall around the dance floor where women behave in sexual explicit and provocative ways, against curious eyes from the outside world. Because of the increased interest in sabar events and the fact that most sabar events are organized by and for women, these sabar events will probably not disappear, but only expand from its origin. Therefore, sabar has become more pluriform."
http://www.sophie-sabar.nl/diversen/senegal%20pdf/Information%20brochure%20English%202013.pdf

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Example #2: assane thiam-tama



joemame1, Uploaded on Jun 8, 2010
sabar, mbalakh

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Example #3: Assane Thiam Sabar Dance



Amy Secada, Uploaded on Nov 8, 2011
Assane Thiam Contemporary Sabar Dance Groupe captured in the streets of Dakar, Senegal 2011

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Example #4: Assane Thiam Contemporary Sabar Groupe



Amy Secada, Uploaded on Nov 8, 2011
Senegals most famous sabar group Assane Thiam captured dancing on the beachs of Dakar, Senegal 2011

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RELATED LINKS
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/senegalese-music-dance-videos.html Senegalese Music & Dance Videos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbalax

http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_Jensen_0103.html
Sabar Accompaniment to the Wrestling Matches and Lion Dances of Senegal

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to and the other performers in these featured videos. My thanks also to those authors whose information I quote and to the uploaders of these featured sound file and videos.

Also, thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome

African Roots Of African American Arm Flapping Dances

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post is part of an ongoing series on African American bird dances. This post showcases two videos of Ghanaian (West Africa) dances that may have been sources of African American arm flapping dances.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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A LIST OF AFRICAN AMERICAN BIRD DANCES
Since at least the 19th century, one of the continuing sub-set of African American dances are those dances that imitate the movement of animals or birds.

Here's a list of African American dances that include arm flapping motions in imitation of birds' wings. Additions & corrections are welcome:

19th century
The Buzzard Lope
The Pigeon Wing
The Buck & Wing
The Eagle Rock

early 20th century
The Turkey Trot

Mid 20th century
an updated version of the Turkey Trot (1965)
The Funky Chicken (early 1970s)

Late 20 century
The Butterfly (originated as a Caribbean dancehall Reggae dance) (early 1990s)
Chicken Noodle Soup (2006)

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TWO VIDEOS OF TRADITIONAL AFRICAN ARM FLAPPING DANCES

Video #1: Dzigbordi Dance Drumming



Uploaded by zotorglo on Jul 31, 2009

Sample clip from an upcoming DVD featuring the dance-drumming of the Dzigbordi Group of Apeyeme, Dzodze. For more details see our website: www.cepafrica.org
-snip-
There are a lot of elements in this performance of the Adowa dance that remind me of Afro-Caribbean and African American dances. Could this Ghanaian dance be a source for the African American flapping wings bird dances such as the Pigeon Wing and the Funky Chicken?

Also, notice how the dancers' upper body movements look like the pop & lock movements of R&B and Hip-Hop dances. And, the woman's movement at around 9:07 looks like the Charleston's crossing legs movement. In addition, these dances remind me of Caribbean, R&B, and Hip-Hop dances that emphasize protruding butt shaking like the "Doin The Butt" dance that Spike Lee featured in his 1988 movie "School Daze".

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Video #2: Lttlest Atorkor dancer - Volta Region, Ghana



Uploaded by smlas on Jan 15, 2009

"This little guy stole the show at the ceremony to commission the new latrines at Atorkor L.A. Basic School."

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DISCLAIMER
I don't mean to imply that the showcased Ghanaian dances are the only African dances in which the arms are flapped (in imitation of birds or for some other reasons).

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RELATED LINKS
Here are several pancocojams post about African American bird dances:
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-turkey-trot-dance-descriptions.html

**
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/various-late-19th-century-early-20th.html

**
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/rufus-thomas-crowd-control-at-wattstax.html "Rufus Thomas & Crowd Control At Wattstax (The Funky Chicken Dance)"

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those whose music and dances are featured on these videos. Thanks also to the video uploaders. All rights remain with their owners.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome

Dancing Carrying An Object On Head (Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases selected videos of people dancing while carrying a basket or some other object on their head. This post also provides general information about this custom.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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OVERVIEW
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrying_on_the_head
"Carrying on the head is a common practice in many parts of the world, as an alternative to carrying a burden on the back, shoulders, and so on. People have carried burdens balanced on top of the head since ancient times, usually to do daily work, but sometimes in religious ceremonies or as a feat of skill, such as in certain dances...

There are several traditional dances of West African cultures that include balancing an object on the head as a skillful feat. Ritual dancing among worshippers of the thunder deity, Shango, sometimes balance a container of fire on their heads while dancing. The Egbado Yoruba have dances that include balancing "delicate terracotta figures" on the head while the arms and torso are moving.[11] This tradition continued among Africans taken to America during the Atlantic slave trade. African-Americans in the 19th century had a popular type of dance competition called "set the floor" ("set de flo'"), during which individual dancers would take turns dancing. Competing dancers would try to perform complicated steps given to them by a caller (usually a fiddler), without stepping outside the bounds of a circle drawn on the ground. To add to the challenge, some dancers would compete while balancing a glass full of water on top of their heads, trying not to spill the water while they danced.

[11. Source: Welsh-Asante, Kariamu (1996). African Dance: An Artistic, Historical, and Philosophical Inquiry. Africa World Press. pp. 107.]"
-snip-
From Tap Roots: The Early History Of Tap Dancing by Mark Knowles (McFarland & Company Jefferson, North Carolina, 2002, Page 33)
"The Shango cult, brought to the Caribbean from Nigeria, was similar to Voodoo in that its main function was to induce possession. In Shango, the skill and aptitude in dancing was especially valued. During the ritual, dancers circled single file as they bent and straightened their knees rapidly with bouncing steps, becoming more and more animated until they were possessed by the deity. Anthropologist Melville and Frances Herskovits observed one female Shango dancer who danced while balancing water on her head...

Balancing water on the head while dancing was a common practice during jig and buck and wing contests in the United States and was often used in minstrel and vaudeville specialty acts to demonstrate a dancer’s skill."
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shango
"In the Yorùbá religion, Ṣàngó (also spelled, Sango or Shango, often known as Xangô or Changó in Latin America and the Caribbean, and also known as Jakuta) (from '=shan, 'to strike') is perhaps one of the most popular Orisha; also known as the god of fire, lightning and thunder. Shango is historically a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third king of the Oyo Kingdom prior to his posthumous deification. In the Lukumí (Olokun mi = "my dear one") religion of the Caribbean, Shango is considered the center point of the religion as he represents the Oyo people of West Africa, the symbolic ancestors of the adherents of the faith"...

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in no particular order.)

Video #1: This is the best tribal dancing group of Botswana Africa



Uploaded by el T Morales on Jan 20, 2011

It really is! They won countless awards! I miss you guys ...

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Video #2: Zambezi Express - The Amazing New African Dance Musical... [Zimbabwe, South Africa]



Uploaded by gypsiiboy on Oct 6, 2009

Highlights from this amazing new show. The story follows a boy named Zilli, born in the slums of a township in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe who dreams of becoming a top-flight footballer. His adventures on the Zambezi Express - the train that leaves Bulawayo for South Africa once a week - and his struggles in the big city have created this extraordinary, pulsating new show straight from the heart of Africa. Pounding, multi-layered African beats and powerful acapella vocals alongside jumping, jiving, and acrobatic dance numbers by a 30 strong company. A soccer-based musical for the approaching World Cup in South Africa 2010
-snip-
[Women dancing with objects is shown at .034-1.18]

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Video #3: Rwandan women dancing with baskets on their heads [Rwanda]



5cense | November 12, 2007

Women dancing with baskets balanced on their heads, at the gorilla's nest, near Ruhengeri, Rwanda

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Video #4: Yeni Molinet - Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba 2005 - Ochun [Cuba]



Uploaded by danzaestelar on Oct 28, 2009
-snip-
Oshun is the Yoruba (Santeria, Lucumi) orisha (goddess) of love, beauty, rivers & waterfalls. Click http://blog.onbeing.org/post/10237320823/dancing-the-stories-of-the-orishaste for information about Ochun. Here's an excerpt from that blog post:
"....orishas are revered deities who rule over different earthly elements. They are called through dance and drum rituals to interact with humans.

Oshun, for example, is an orisha associated with fresh water. She represents female sensuality and beauty. Oshun’s movement is fluid and coquettish, which is what you’d expect from a goddess of beauty. Her signature color is yellow and she typically carries a fan with her, which she sometimes wields as a weapon. When Oshun laughs, she’s preparing to punish someone. It’s only when she cries that she’s truly happy".
-snip-
Click http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/OCHUN/ for more information about Ochun.

Also, read the reference in the "Overview" section above about another orisha "Shango".

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Video #5: Mexican Mayan Dancers, dancing with things on their head, Chichen Itza area of Mexico, Aug 09



Uploaded by devildogpackrat on Aug 12, 2009
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's viewer comment thread:
"THESE ARE MEXICAN PEOPLE ,MMM YEAH FROM MAYAS BUT THIS IS NOT A MAYAN DANCE !!!!"
-cobra87west, 2011
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This custom may have its source in the African people who were enslaved in Mexico. For information about slavery in Mexico, click http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/666-slavery-in-mexico.

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BONUS VIDEO: BURUNDI DRUMMERS [Burundi]



Uploaded by borosjutub on Mar 5, 2008

Amazing drum show from Burundi
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Some may consider these drummers to be strutting "on stage" and not dancing. Be that as it may, I decided to add this video because their movements while carrying an object is custom is very similar to the subject of this post. Besides, these men walking while carrying drums on their head is so impressive that I wanted to share a video of it in case people here hadn't seen it before.

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqEdvkeywZg for another video of the Burundi drummers and for commentary about this custom.

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UPDATE: 3/15/2013
ሽንግርዋ - ናይ ሳአስዒት ውድድር (9 year old eritrean girl)



goblel, Uploaded on Nov 14, 2007
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Here's a comments from that video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TavHQEZrGTs

"This is a typical ERITREAN syle. What a talent! Wonderful Guayla."
-Amche10, 2008

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UPDATE: July 9, 2014

Afro Ecuadorian La Bomba Dance



dreaflan, Uploaded on Dec 16, 2010
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/07/examples-of-traditional-afro-ecuadorian.html to find more examples of Bomba dancers balancing a bottle on their head.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & THANKS
Thanks to all those dancers & musicians who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to those whose comments are quoted in this post, and those who uploaded the videos which are featured in this post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

A Comparison Of Various Calenda-Like Dances

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides videos of dance performances in the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa that remind me of descriptions of the 17th and 18th centuries Caribbean and United States dance the "Calenda".

I'm certain that these comparisons have already been documented by dance historians. However, they are noteworthy to people like me who approach YouTube videos as an introduction to various music & dance traditions and as a way of comparing aspects of those traditions.

Here's a brief description of the Calenda for those who may not be aware of that dance or dances:
From Lynne Fauley Emery: Black Dance From 1619 to Today, Second Revised Edition (Princeton Book Company, 1988, p. 24)
"The Calenda, according to most accounts, had certain characteristics: it was performed by one or more couples encircled by a singing, clapping ring; the movement of a couple consisted of a rather shuffling advance and retreat, with most of the movement originating in the hips, while the limbs played a very small part of the dance. Except for the description given by Labat, there was no physical contact between dancers."
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Here's the description of the Calenda dance in the Caribbean that was written in 1698 by the French monk Father Jean-Baptiste Labat:
"The dancers are arranged in two lines, facing each other, the men on one side and the women on another. Those who are tired of dancing form a circle with the spectators around the dancers and the drums. The ablest person sings a song which he composes on the spot on any subject he considers appropriate. The refrain of the song is sung by everyone and is accompanied by great handclapping. As for the dancers, they hold their arms a little like someone playing castagnettes. They jump, make swift turns, approach each other to a distance of two or three feet then draw back with the beat of the drum until the sound of the drums brings them together again to strike their thighs together, that is, the men's against the women's. To see them it would seem that they were striking each other's bellies although it is only the thighs which receive the blows. At the proper time they withdraw with a pirouette, only to begin again the same movement with absolutely lascivious gestures; this, as many times as the drums give the signal, which is many times in a row. From time to time they lock arms and make several revolutions always slapping their thighs together and kissing each other, it can readily be seen by this abridged description to what degree this dance is contrary to all modesty.
(quoted in Emery: pps 21-22)

Emery goes on to describe a men's stick dance that was also called "Calenda". That dance is not the focus of this post.

The Calenda is documented to have been a popular dance in 19th century Congo Square, New Orleans, Louisiana. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/bamboula-dance-and-music-then-now-part_10.html for descriptions of that dance.
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Without any further comments, presented in no particular order, here are three Youtube videos of dances that are somewhat similar in format if not in their entire performance to Labat's description of Calenda:

Welsh Folk Dance "Jac y Do"



Uploaded by Pluckandsqueeze on Jan 22, 2010

The Welsh folk dance is "Jac y Do" (the Jackdaw) which is also the title of the first tune, and has an uncanny resemblance to the The Grand Old Duke of York.

The venue was a the Temple of Peace in Cardiff Civic Centre, with a beautiful Art Deco interior.
We played as a three piece band with Heulwen on fiddle, Lorna on accordion and Peter on guitar, with Alun calling the dance steps.

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Video #2: Bèlè - Mabello - Bourg de Schoelcher



MrDjipe, Published on May 4, 2012

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Video #3: Zambia Wedding Dancing



Uploaded by daviddamberger on Jul 4, 2009

One of my favorite parts about Zambia weddings are that the wedding party, the flower girl, the knife boys and pretty much anyone else involved in the wedding enters into the room dancing.

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The two dance characteristics in those videos that remind me of the Calenda are the "longways set" formation (a line of men facing a line of women - although the Mabelo wasn't always danced in that line formation), and the approaching & retreating movement with physical touch (Martinique, and Zambia) and without physical touch (Wales).

I happened on the video of the Mabelo and then found the video of the Welsh dance which looked so much like it (except for the absence of the belly thrust and hip shaking). The southern African nation of Zambia was colonized by England from the end of the 19th century until 1964 when it declared its independence from colonialization. Therefore, in hindsight, it's not all that surprising that Zambians would have the same Calenda or Calenda-like dance tradition as people from other formerly English colonized nations.

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For more videos of Mabelo, click this post of my zumalayah blog: http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/04/videos-of-mabelo-folk-dance-from.html
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For more videos of South African wedding dances (known as masteps), click this post of my zumalayah blog: http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/04/contemporary-southern-african-wedding.html

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Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

The Charleston Leg Movement In African & African American Dances

Edited by Azizi Powell

[Updates: 2/9/2012, 9/30/2014]

Minstrel Cakewalk Cake Walk Dancing [1903]



Uploaded by nnorb on Nov 12, 2007

This is a cakewalk from the turn of the century.

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This post presents selected videos of the signature leg movement of the Charleston dance as found in a film clip of a pre-1920s African American dance [a form of the Cakewalk], as performed in two traditional African dances, and as performed in several 20th and 21st century African American originated dances.

These videos are posted for their historical, folkloric, aesthetic, and/or entertainment value.

This is not meant to be comprehensive presentation of videos or comments on this subject.

My thanks to those dancers, musicians, producers, and uploaders of these featured film clips, and videos.

OVERVIEW ON THE CHARLESTON DANCE
From http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/qt/charleston.htm

Charleston Dance Becomes Popular (1923):

The Charleston dance became popular after appearing along with the song, "The Charleston," by James P. Johnson in the Broadway musical Runnin' Wild in 1923.

Although the origins of the dance are obscure, the dance has been traced back to [African Americans] who lived on an island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina (which is why the dance is called "Charleston"). The Charleston dance had been performed in black communities since 1903, but did not become internationally popular until the musical debuted in 1923.

The music for the Charleston is ragtime jazz, in quick 4/4 time with syncopated rhythms.

The dance uses both swaying arms and the fast movement of the feet. To begin the dance, one first moves the right foot back one step and then kicks backwards with the left foot while the right arm moves forward. Then both feet and arms are replaced to the start position and the right foot kicks forwards while the right arm moves backwards. This is done with a little hop in between steps.

The Charleston dance became extremely popular in the 1920s, especially with Flappers. The dance could be done by oneself, with a partner, or in a group.

* Note: I changed the referent used in the article because I don't like the term "the blacks".

-snip-

From href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_(dance)
"The Charleston was one of the dances from which Lindy Hop and Jazz Roots developed in the 1930s. A slightly different form of Charleston became popular in the 1930s and '40s, and is associated with Lindy Hop. In this later Charleston form, the hot jazz timing of the 1920s Charleston was adapted to suit the swing jazz music of the '30s and '40s. This style of Charleston has many common names, though the most common are Lindy Charleston, Savoy Charleston, '30s or '40s Charleston and Swing(ing) Charleston. In both '20s Charleston and Swinging Charleston, the basic step takes eight counts and is danced either alone or with a partner.

Frankie Manning and other Savoy dancers saw themselves as doing Charleston steps within the Lindy rather than to be dancing Charleston."

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FEATURED VIDEOS

Video #1:
Presented at the top of this post.

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Video #2: Kabakoudou et Grand Dévis : kulibèmbelen [Guinea, West Africa]



Uploaded by asoumah on Apr 30, 2009

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Video #3: Traditional Congolese Dance (The Congo, Central Africa)



Uploaded by eghow on Apr 5, 2010

This was a demonstration of traditional Congo dancing, costumes and drumming during a visit to Kamina, Congo. The Catholic church in this (very large) village has this program, which is an effort to remember older Congo traditions.

-snip-

Editor: Both of the videos of traditional African dancing are from the regions from which most enslaved African Americans were taken.

I'm including Video #3 although it could be argued that that dance looks more like the moves that were performed for the 1960s Twist than the 1920s or 1940s Charleston.

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Video #4: Crank Dat Lion King



Uploaded by misskimari on Oct 21, 2007

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Video #5: Chicago Footwork



Uploaded by ghettotekz on Apr 24, 2010

no real battle, just some amazin footworkin. This was with MOB, TS, Wolf Pac, Litebulb, Deryon, Stepz, Manny, just a whole bunch of dope cats. Watch it fools!

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Video #6: Jig & Show Out Dance



Uploaded by zahria1998 on Mar 18, 2011

We was tryin to win jig & Show Out Contest.

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UPDATE: 2/9/2012
V.I.C. - WOBBLE BABY (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) @TheofficialVic



Uploaded by superstarvic on Oct 29, 2009

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Also, Sally Adebayo hipped me to this video of the latest dance craze from Ghana. Thanks, Sally!

U Media Films - Azonto - Fuse ODG Feat. Tiffany (OFFICIAL)



Uploaded by TonishaTagoe on Oct 27, 2011

Azonto - Fuse ODG Feat. Tiffany **ProDuced by KILLBEATZ!**

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I'm definitely am not lovin (or even likin) those white face masks. What do you think about them?

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.