What are the origins of African-American social dance?

African-American social dances started as a way for enslaved Africans to keep cultural traditions alive and retain a sense of inner freedom. They remain an affirmation of identity and independence. In this electric demonstration, packed with live performances, choreographer, educator and TED Fellow Camille A.

What is the history of social dance?

You can trace the history of social dance back as far as primitive cultures dancing to celebrate a birth or mourn a death. In later years, social dance continued to develop and evolve, mingling the dances of other cultures such as the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

What is one fact about the history of African dance?

African dance dates back in the times of enslavement. During that time, African slaves used to sing classic songs which livened them up and helped them to maintain their culture. However, some of these dancing styles were adopted during the slave trade and play a significant role in today’s African dance.

What is African dance and where did it originate from?

African dance refers to a form of performing art found among most cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa. Still practiced today, it involves rhythmic body movements combined with music and sometimes theatrical representations.

When did African dance originate?

Black Africans brought their dances to North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean Islands as slave labor starting in the 1500s. In the west these dance styles of hundreds of Black ethnic groups merged with white dances, forming the extension of the African aesthetic in the Americas.

What social dances were influenced by African dance and music?

Jazz Dance—is an American performance dance technique and style. It emerged in the early twentieth century in vaudeville and burlesque and is based in African American social dance.

What is the meaning of social dance?

Definition of social dance 1 : a group dance or couple dance done for social and usually recreational purposes — see ballroom dance. 2 : a gathering held in a ballroom, in a home, or outdoors where people may participate in social dances.

Why is African Dance important?

In Africa, as with other parts of the world, ceremonial dance tells a story. More than mere entertainment, it recounts history, conveys emotion, celebrates rites of passage, and helps to unify communities.

What was African dance used for?

What are facts about African dance?

African dance dates back in the 1500s

What are the names of African dances?

The dance originated from the French-speaking West African country of Congo, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in the late 1990s. The makossa dance became so trendy that it eliminated other trendy African dance steps at that time. Names like Koffi Olomide and Awilo Longomba are almost synonymous with the dance.

How did African dance begin?

The beginning of slave labor in the 1500s led to the merging of many different kinds of African dance styles, from various tribes and ethnic groups, that mixed with European dance styles and came to be called African dance.

Who is the most famous African American dancer?

Legendary ballet dancer Desmond Richardson is known for being the first African-American principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre . Richardson’s impressive skill and artistic prowess have earned him personal Tony nominations, as well as roles in Tony award-winning Broadway productions.