Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents an exchange of comments about the meanings of the terms "Afro House Dance", "Afro Dance",and "Afrobeats" from the discussion thread of the 2019 YouTube video entitled "How To Dance Afro House from Angola/Portugal 🇵🇹🇦🇴 (Tutorial) | Chop Daily."
That video is also showcased in this post.
Several other online comments about these terms are also included in this post.
The Addendum to this post showcases a 2019 Afro Dance video featuring Congolese choreographer Petit Afro who is based in Holland.
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 quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the producers of these videos on YouTube.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: How To Dance Afro House from Angola/Portugal 🇵🇹🇦🇴 (Tutorial) | Chop Daily
Chop Daily, May 29, 2019
Song used for tutorial is Dj Poco - Omunye Vs Mondengue
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COMMENTS ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE TERMS "AFRO HOUSE DANCING" AND "AFRO DANCING"
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7uHtgAxjgc&t=4s How To Dance Afro House from Angola/Portugal 🇵🇹🇦🇴 (Tutorial) | Chop Daily
Chop Daily, May 29, 2019
1. Tamar - Unique Tay, 2019
"Thank you. Love this. Finally house dance love it.
Can we be clear with where it is from and the origins, names and termologies. Just generally speaking on 'afro dance' styles. I love house and know this is Portuguese, angolan..."
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2. Andrew Ndambuki, 2019
"Should check out Limpopo Boyz....King of afro house dance....afrohouse is very footwork intense.....Naile walk, thuso phala dance etc.."
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3. Anthoniette Agyemang, 2019
"What's the difference between afro house and afro dance???"
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REPLY
4. Alana Alberto, 2019
"Ngl im not too sure on the term Afro dance - it’s probably the general term for African dancing, usually the popular dance moves. AfroHouse is a genre and there’s certain dance moves you dance to it:"
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REPLY
5. Elaine xo, 2019
"Anthoniette Agyemang Afro House is usually from central & southern africa (Angola/Congo/SA etc) Afro Dance/Beats is usually from western africa (Nigeria/Ghana etc)"
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REPLY
6. Unique Movez Dance Collective, 2020
"House dance it self is part of the street dance family. House originating from Chicago. But afro house is typical Angolan and/or south African culture. Foot walk and lower half of the body
Afro dance is not a real term. Its just to identify dances of the African diaspora. But we must call the dance of its original name to be honest.
Hope this helps"
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REPLY
7. Marggie Ponce, 2020
"Afrohouse has its own style, the dance to Afro House is called kuduro from Angola. Afro dance is a general term. Afrobeats is more commonly Nigeria/Ghana. There are many styles and I’m still learning myself but this is what I know so far lol"
-snip-
There is also a separate discussion in those comments about the video publisher's inclusion of Portugal in the title "How To Dance Afro House from Angola/Portugal." Here are a few of those comments:
1. Keren Ariana Mendes, 2019
"Loved your dance, but being from Angola 🇦🇴. I must tell, our afro beats and our dance have nothing to do with Portugal."
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REPLY
2. Marggie Ponce, 2020
"Keren Ariana Mendes 💯💯💯"
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REPLY
3. omalone11, 2020
"@Marggie Ponce it depends I mean what a out the producers?"
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REPLY
4. Marggie Ponce, 2020
"omalone11 There are producers everywhere but its origin is not from Portugal and has nothing to do with Portugal. The music originated from South Africa and the dance from Angola"
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REPLY
5. omalone11, 2020
"@Marggie Ponce not to mention Fabio ? And how about Dj Telio? Unless mistaken he is based in Portugal...if that means anything"
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REPLY
6. Marggie Ponce, 2020
"omalone11 I’m not one to speak for the culture but I’m just saying what I’ve learned from Afro House teachers. They never mention Portugal as it’s origination 🤷🏽♀️ I know there are producers from other countries but the origins are not from Portugal. If we’re talking about the scene itself right now in 2020 that’s different"
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7. Kizomba Fusion, 2020
"Kudurooooooooooooooo!!!! 😍"
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ADDITIONAL ONLINE EXCERPTS THAT MENTION "AFRO DANCE", "AFRO HOUSE DANCING", AND/OR "AFROBEATS".
(These excerpts are given in no particular order)
1. From http://socialdancecommunity.com/dance-afro-house/ BY RACHEL CASSANDRA "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AFRO HOUSE" [no date given]
"If you go to a big kizomba party or festival, at some point in the night there is sure to be an Afro House animation. The DJ changes the music to something upbeat and pulsating with energy. People line up facing the DJ booth or stage, then follow the moves of a leading artist. After a while another confident dancer may stride up to take over for a while or a different teacher may be pushed to the center. People copy the moves until they are too tired or sweaty or the DJ relents and brings it back to a semba or kizomba song.
Some people can’t wait for that point in the party. They find it revitalizes them. Other people roll their eyes, go check their phones, and maybe even call it a night if the set goes on longer than a few songs. I used to be one of them – but somehow in the past couple years I’ve become super excited about taking any African solo dance on offer at festivals.
I would attribute some of that shift to an amazing hour dancing Kuduro and Afro House behind an ever-smiling and tireless Paulo Cruz at the Hamburg Kizomba Gala in 2014....
[...]
Introduction to African Dance
For most people in the kizomba scene, the Afro House set is how they first encountered any kind of solo African movement. For me it was Kuduro line-ups at big salsa parties. From Casablanca to Lyon to New York, the only time I saw Kuduro from 2010 to 2011 was as part of an animation or choreographed dance, usually performed to a Caribbean or Brazilian dance tune like Don Omar’s infamous “Danza Kuduro.” I assumed it was a recent Latin craze.
My first real encounter with Afro House was when my kizomba partner in 2012, Nelson Campos, insisted that we add some to our kizomba/semba show. I was very resistant to the idea. “Aren’t we supposed to be showcasing the dances we teach? I don’t know how to dance Afro House!”...
And it wasn’t because I hadn’t taken any classes. I did go to Afro House and Kuduro classes at festivals, but their purpose also seemed to be animation. The classes were a game of “Do what I do – if you can keep up!” and trying to memorize the choreography du jour. I spent so much time trying to remember the basic blocking and order of the moves I never got any better at the actual movement.
Fortunately, things seem to be changing. Increasingly festivals are offering not just a single Afro House or Kuduro class, but a range of classes that include other African dance styles. The quality of instruction has improved to include assessment of and adjustment to students’ needs. Most importantly, more and more people are beginning to recognize the dynamic freedom of these various dances. Like me, they’re coming to class wanting to learn more than they can from line-ups at parties.
An Incomplete Alphabet
In a single weekend this month at Hamburg’s Ginga Festival I got to do workshops in six solo African dances. Here they are in alphabetical order, to avoid any question of hierarchy: Afro House (mixed origins), Afrobeats (Nigeria), Azonto (Ghana), Coupé Décalé (Côte d’Ivoire), Kuduro (Angola), and Ndombolo (Congo). While there are certainly many others out there, I’d say these six are pretty representative of the offerings I’ve seen across festivals in the last two years.
When it comes to the kizomba scene, the most commonly taught solo dances are Kuduro and Afro House. Kuduro has been party music for decades in Angola. The dance is a bridge between traditional tribal dances and modern African movement. Kuduro translates into English as “hard ass,” and the energetic leaps, squats, kicks, and various isolations that characterize Kuduro absolutely deliver on that name.
Afro House comes from the intersection of South African music and house. The dance is popular across several African countries and therefore varies wildly. I’ve even heard people say that they dance “Angolan Afro House” or “Afro House from Congo.” In most festival workshops, there’s no real explanation of what defines Afro House, and our objective as attendees is simply to fit the mold presented to us. Personally I have seen elements of many other dances in Afro House."...
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This article includes several embedded videos.
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2.
From https://medium.com/the-dao-of-dance/my-beginners-journey-with-afro-dance-2968ca232ed0
My Beginner’s Journey with Afro Dance
Respecting and appreciating the diverse cultures and histories of the African continent through dance.
John Joseph Wong, Sep 18, 2019
"I love dancing.
Earlier this year, I started exploring a variety of popular dance styles that span the vast, beautiful continent of Africa. From Nigerian and Ghanaian Afro Fusion and Afro Pop, Congolese Ndombolo, Angolan Kuduro and Afro House, Ivorian Coupé-Décalé, to South African Gqom, and many more.
I fell in love with the emphasis on rhythm and syncopation found in many of these popular music and dance styles. There’s heart and soul embedded in every track.
The music grabbed my attention, but the dances kept me coming back for more.
I find that Afro dances often celebrate community. At the same time, these dances provide space for individuality, flavour and sauce. It’s not just about technical ability or skill — it’s about the energy you bring to the dance floor and the vibes you share."
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3.
From https://www.aileyextension.com/classes/afrodance-0
"Afro'Dance
Afro'Dance class is a mixture of the new generation of African influences and street dance. In the class, you will work on musicality heavily influenced by the rhythm and musical trends from The Congo, Ivory Coast, Angola, and beyond. Urban street styles are incorporated into the backdrop of this heavily African based technique"...
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4.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrobeats
"Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing[1]), also known as Afro-pop, Afro-fusion (also styled as Afropop and Afrofusion), is an umbrella term for contemporary pop music made in West Africa and the diaspora[2][3] that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a style per se, and more of a descriptor for the fusion of sounds flowing out of Ghana and Nigeria. Genres such as hiplife, jùjú music, highlife and naija beats, among others, are often lumped under the 'afrobeats' umbrella.[4]"...
Characteristics
Afrobeats (with the s) is commonly conflated with and referred to as Afrobeat (without the s), however, these are two distinct and different sounds and are not the same.[9][10][11][12][13][14] Afrobeat is a genre that developed in the 1960s and 1970s, taking influences from Fuji music and Highlife, mixed in with American Jazz and Funk. Characteristics of afrobeat include big bands, long instrumental solos, and complex jazzy rhythms.[15][16] The name was coined by Nigerian afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.[17] Fela Kuti and his longtime partner, drummer Tony Allen, are credited for laying the groundwork for what would become afrobeats.[3][18][19][20][21]
This is in contrast to afrobeats, pioneered in the 2000s and 2010s. While afrobeats takes on influences from afrobeat, it is a diverse fusion of various different genres such as British house music, hiplife, hip hop, dancehall, soca, Jùjú music, highlife, R&B, Ndombolo, Naija beats, Azonto, and Palm-wine music.[22][9][10][23][2][12][24][25][4] Unlike Afrobeat, which is a clearly defined genre, afrobeats is more of an overarching term for contemporary West African pop music. The term was created in order to package these various sounds into a more easily accessible label, which were unfamiliar to the UK listeners where the term was first coined."...
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ADDENDUM: Petit Afro Presents - #PetitAfroChallenge || Afro Dance || Video By HRN
Petit Afro Official, Sep 1, 2018
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