Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases examples of performances by Burundi drummers. One video of a Burundi women's drum group is included among these examples. Information about Burundi is included in this post (in the summary for Example #6). Information about Burundi drumming traditions is also included in this post.
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 and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates given first.
Example #1: Sebas with Tambourines from Burundi, Rukinzo Legacy
elsebasM Uploaded on Aug 13, 2009
My visit to Burundi where I took lessons of traditional Burundian Tambourine percussion.
-snip-
"Tambourine" here means "drums".
Here's some information about Rukinzo Legacy from http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=4430991&style=music&fulldesc=T
"The members of the group that traveled around the world as "the Drummers of Burundi" varied from trip to trip. Just before their recording session in Japan, the 13 musicians on this album (under the direction of Leonce Ngabo) chose the name Rukinzo Legacy to distinguish themselves from similar groups. However, the listener should be aware that this music is less the provenance of certain individuals than an expression of Burundian culture that has been passed down over the years.
The disc consists of a single piece, "Ingoma Z-Uburundi," lasting almost an hour and filled with wonderful rhythms and incantations. The drums are divided into higher- and lower-range instruments, but it is the thick, rich sound of that nether-region percussion that predominates. The rhythms are not as light and intricate as those found, say, in West African (Ghanaian) music. Rather, they are muscular, heavy without becoming leaden, and immensely powerful. They churn and roll along as though pitching on a rough sea in a bewildering series of patterns, always augmented by the shouts and songs of the drummers. If there is a transcultural analogy, it might be to the Korean traditional drum squads such as SamulNori; this music has a similar power and breadth. The same general "tone" is maintained throughout the performance. While some Western listeners may find this lack of overt variety tiresome, others will surely revel in the ongoing rush of percussion as though immersed in a cascading stream. Highly recommended for all fans of traditional African music. ~ Brian Olewnick
Recording information: 08/26/1994."
-snip-
This quote was reformatted for this post for reading clarity.
****
Example #2: Maîtres Tambours du Burundi
Chaîne de batucboy Uploaded on Jul 30, 2010
Les Maîtres Tambours du Burundi au Parc de La Villette le 25/07/2010
-snip-
In response to the question “Where was this performance?”, a commenter wrote “Paris”.
-snip-
"Tambours" = drums
****
Example #3: Women Burundi Drummers
Bruce Baker Uploaded on Aug 17, 2011
The Female Burundian Drummers rehearse in a parking lot. I didn't know there were women Drummers until I saw them here. Lot's of people gathered around to see the show! Recorded in Bujumbura, Burundi in August of 2011
-snip_
Here are four selected comments from the video's discussion thread:
BrownSkinn1, 2012
"Beautiful!!!! What that mean when they take the drum stick and circle their head? I see the men do that too."
**
Bruce Baker, 2012
"I don't have any idea why they circle their necks like that. BrownSkinn1, you're right, the men do it as well. But I've yet to figure out the meaning. I should be in Burundi later this year, and I'll try to find out."
**
Mitch Labuda, 2012 in reply to Bruce Baker
"Perhaps, taking good thoughts and prayers and sharing with the drum, which is considered sacred"
**
sisterplanet, 2013
"Thanks for this, I didn't know there were female drummers! I saw them at the first WOMAD festival in the UK in 1982...fantastic!"
****
Example #4: #KenyaAt50: The Rushitama Karienda Burundi drummers
NTV Kenya Published on Dec 12, 2013
****
Example #5: AFH127 - The Drummers of Burundi
Afrikafestival Hertme, Published on Jan 14, 2014
Considered as one of the best percussion ensembles on this planet, Burundi's top
drummers have been touring the world since the 1960s. Their vibrant power and
precision on sixteen drums originally accompanied kings of this central African
nation.
At home, their music is considered sacred and is linked to regeneration and
fertility. But the heart-stopping rhythms have crossed social and cultural barriers
worldwide. Spectators at their concerts rarely remain indifferent to the complex and
compelling sounds and dance the musicians create.
Here, this centuries-old group, who play huge ceremonial drums with heavy
sticks and a staggering force and precision, unleash their thunderous, ritual-charged
power. In Burundi, the drum is a sacred object, closely associated with fertility,
the life cycle and nobility (the Burundi word ingoma translates as both "drum"
and "kingdom"). The performance seems therefore doubly charged with significance
and vitality, a feeling echoed in the ritual chants, cheers, and call and response
woven throughout.
While their way of drumming may strike the casual Western ear as somewhat
monochromatic, the percussion is actually comprised of forty-one different rhythms--
pulses and counter-rhythms, varying tempos, harsh, clacking side-stick accents--and
each rhythm represents an important concept of Burundi society: the recognition of
important figures, peace, respect, unity and the progress of their country.
"Rhythm Magazine" once wrote that their improvisations would be difficult for even
the cream of western rhythmicists to match". Yet no one should underestimate the
complexity of polyrhythm's in ceremonies that often last an entire night.
****
Example #6: Burundi: Unité, Travail, Progrès (drum performance by Rukinzo Legacy Drumming Club)
xithe, Published on Jan 9, 2015
The Republic of Burundi is a landlocked country in the African Great Lakes region of Southeast Africa, bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.
The three stars seen on the flag stand for the three major ethnic groups of Burundi. The three stars also stand for the three elements of the national motto: Unité, Travail, Progrès ("Unity, Work and Progress"), which can be seen on the Coat of arms of Burundi. They also represent the loyalty that the citizens of the nations have pledged to their God, king and country.
The Royal Drummers of Burundi, commonly known in recordings as The Drummers of Burundi, is a percussion ensemble from Burundi. Their performances are a part of ceremonies such as births, funerals, and coronations of mwami (Kings). Drums (called karyenda) are sacred in Burundi, and represent the mwami, fertility and regeneration. The Royal Drummers use drums made from hollowed tree trunks covered with animal skins.
Song: The Royal Burundian Drummers - The Echo of Burundi in Victoria
****
Example #7: The Royal Drummers of Burundi
Merci seigneur, Published on Feb 8, 2015
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label Burundi drummers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burundi drummers. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Thursday, September 27, 2012
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.
****
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"...
****
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 ...
****
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]
****
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
****
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".
****
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
-snip-
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.
****
BONUS VIDEO: BURUNDI DRUMMERS [Burundi]
Uploaded by borosjutub on Mar 5, 2008
Amazing drum show from Burundi
-snip-
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.
****
UPDATE: 3/15/2013
ሽንግርዋ - ናይ ሳአስዒት ውድድር (9 year old eritrean girl)
goblel, Uploaded on Nov 14, 2007
-snip-
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
****
UPDATE: July 9, 2014
Afro Ecuadorian La Bomba Dance
dreaflan, Uploaded on Dec 16, 2010
-snip-
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.
****
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.
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.
****
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"...
****
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 ...
****
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]
****
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
****
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".
****
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
-snip-
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.
****
BONUS VIDEO: BURUNDI DRUMMERS [Burundi]
Uploaded by borosjutub on Mar 5, 2008
Amazing drum show from Burundi
-snip-
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.
****
UPDATE: 3/15/2013
ሽንግርዋ - ናይ ሳአስዒት ውድድር (9 year old eritrean girl)
goblel, Uploaded on Nov 14, 2007
-snip-
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
****
UPDATE: July 9, 2014
Afro Ecuadorian La Bomba Dance
dreaflan, Uploaded on Dec 16, 2010
-snip-
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.
****
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.
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