Monday, April 14, 2014

Rough Draft

Kiara Lewis
Capstone 2014
Clothier
7 April 2014
The Historical and Modern Function of Nigerian Dance
“I found myself doing the dance without really thinking about it. My body just sort of took over and followed the rhythmic motto… it was as if I was watching someone else dance”
- ‘Alik Shahadah


Dance has always been an important form of expression in my life. I have been am able to learn and perform many different types of dances: ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, modern and African. Out of all of the classes I have taken, African is the one that I struggle with the most. I have given up taking classes and learning the heritage, often giving up because it is too complicated and my knees and back hurt from dancing so low to the ground. However, fall of 2013, in a talent show, I was introduced to another type of African dance, Nigerian dance. I immediately fell in love with the drum rhythms and the colorful costumes. Since then, I have worked closely with Amarachi Okafor, and have learned more about Nigerian dance. Okafor is a Nigerian dancer that has been dancing this style all of her life; her parents are both from Nigeria and were the ones who introduced her to Nigerian dance. Even though Nigerian dance is not much different than African dance, the slight differences cause me to enjoy it more. I now have a new appreciation for African dance moves. There is a reason why they bend over so low to the ground; each dance move has a historical reference. With this new spark of interest, I wanted to learn more about the history and more about the dance itself. It is more than just a series of dance steps. There are so many different components to a Nigerian dance, but I have chosen to focus on the historical and modern functions of it.  The function of Nigerian dance has changed over time, Nigerian dance has remained the primary form of communication, both culturqal and religious, between different villages and languages.
Nigerian dance is an essential part of the culture; it is a part of their foundation. Nigerian culture is rooted in dance. The events of Nigerian stories are told through dance and the stories yet to come will be interpreted through dance as well. Every step and drum rhythm has a meaning and a story behind it. The history of Nigeria is tied to their dance and that is the phenomenal imagery of the Nigerian dances. The dances are used for communication and they “illustrate the meaning and underline the symbolism of those occasions” (Ajai 1). After centuries of history and culture clashes, the function of Nigerian dance has changed to meet modern day needs but, the importance of Nigerian dance has remained the same.
HISTORICAL NIGERIAN DANCES!!!! The historical function of Nigerian dance was to allow the slaves to communicate with the other slaves without the master knowing what was going on. The rigid movement and lack of fluidity in the dances was caused by the European imperialistic culture that clashed with the Nigerian culture. There were several sides of the Nigerian culture that was interrupted by European imperialism. Ancient Yoruba, one of the main cultures in Nigeria, practiced a form of religion that the Europeans referred to as ‘heathenism’ (Parker 42). Being corrupted by colonial conquest is a main reason why Yoruba culture is so rooted in their beliefs and practices. The Nigerians realized that their culture could ultimately be decimated by the Europeans. The Yoruba culture is an example of a project of colonial conquest performed by the Europeans. The Europeans constantly attempted the projects of ‘ethnogenesis,’ or emergence of ethnic groups, with militarized articulacy and Christianized elites, “the heathens” (Dagan 27). The Europeans tried to “revamp and expand European ideologies” on the Nigerian culture, which created the culture clash (Parker 43). The dances that were performed during this horrific time period in history gave the Nigerians the ability to communicate with the other villages; they were used as warning signs. The drum beats and each movement could sign a potential intruder or attack. The drum beat and the dance moves are a call and response form. The drummer beats the rhythm, which is the initial order or command for the people, and the dancers reply. IMPERIALISTIC DANCE SPECIFIC!!! This goes back and forth until the goal is complete. Before imperialism, dance was used as enjoyment and entertainment for festivals; after imperialism, the Nigerians realized how successful their communication through dance was; “African dance... [a] spoken language, is a source of communication though which is possible to demonstrate emotion” (Weish 13). Even though, dance could have been a small form of communication pre-colonialism, post colonialism it was considered a different language for the Nigerians and other African cultures
There are other ways to communicate but the Yoruba people decided that dance was the most efficient means of communication. These dances hold original meaning and representation. NAME OF THE DANCES THAT USE THESE INTRUMENTS!!! DOES MY DANCE INVOLVE THESE INSTRUMENTS!!! They communicate with this drum that is called the Juju Ban (Adigun). The Juju Ban is the “talking drum” of the Yoruba people. It makes the sound of a “dun dun,” is a deep sound that rocks the earth’s foundation. When the drums beat together they are able to shake the souls of the Nigerian people and intensify the message that needs to be deciphered. Along with the Juju Ban, is the Ago ago, which is the cowbell or gong (Adigun). The Ago ago is used to call the people together and to demand attention. These instruments helped the Nigerians communicate the messages that they had. Certain rhythms were to communicate specific messages. Due to the secrecy of the messages that needed to be passed on through different languages, these dances and rhythms in the music told the people all they needed to know. The Nigerian dance is parallel to slave spiritual songs. Their songs held secret meanings and had messages deep in the lyrics; that is what the dances are for the Nigerians. Not only are they beautifully choreographed, but they are a motion picture of historical stories. Along with the historical stories, these dances are used to interpret everyday life. They tell a story with movement and music, “African dance translates everyday experiences into movement” (Weish 14). The dancers during the slavery times were disciplined a certain way in order to keep the secret meanings of the dances from the Europeans. Slavery in Africa was a major culture clash and the disagreement with the practice was expressed through rapid gyrations of the body to a drum beat. The dances during this time was very sexual and was not encouraged for the younger children to perform, “this movement, pelvic contractions, was used in all categories of dances, it was a sexual notion” (Weish 15). Despite the distance between northern and southern Africa, the dances in Nigeria and the sexual style transcribed all over Africa. It was the most effective way to communicate their resentment and disapprobation of the Europeans. These changes that the Europeans forced amongst the Africans have allowed them to unit as one continent with dance as their language of choice, “the shape of current African music and dance in Africa results from a variety of historical changes: ecological, cultural, social, religious, political” (African Holocaust). Along with dance and music, communication has become easier between villages.  
Historically, Nigerian dance was used to unite different languages from different villages. SPECIFIC DANC THAT UNITED NIGERIANS!!!! The dances are modified to fit the characteristics of each village, but the meaning remains the same. Possession of land, crops, and women were communicated through dance (Murray 348). This was a way for the villages to understand the boundaries and possessions of the other villages, because they did not always speak the same language. Patterns through the music and dance enable the villages to clarify the message that was given, “musical patterns are often conceived as verbalized in black African culture” (Weish 93). There are patterns with the rhythm of the dance and then there are also patterns for the wardrobes of each specific village. Each village has their own pattern for their African garb; these patterns also contribute to the messages in the dances. During my interview, Olubanjo Adigun, described the “sokogo,” the men’s top, the “iio and gele,” the women’s top and head wrap and the “buba” the unisex bottoms. DESCRIBE MY OUTFIT FOR MY DANCE!!! Possessiveness is a keen aspect for the Nigerian culture and being able to express their possessions or earnings is very important to them (Dagan 40). Through dance a lot can be communicated not just possession, but religion and power as well.
Dance communicates secret messages, possession, religion and power. WHICH DANCE DO THEY USE SPECIFICALLY FOR COMMUNICATION!!! The religion that was hoisted upon the Nigerians during imperialism was not of the characteristics of the Nigerian culture. Christianity was the religion of the Europeans; you achieve the complete form of Christianity after death when you ascend to heaven. Nigeria religion is to praise and celebrate the life that they have now. They connect with their specific gods and praise them for the present time. Their religion is the “here and now;” they do not live a life to hopefully ascend to heaven (African Holocaust). ‘Alik Shahadah, African writer and scholar, believes, “religion is the bottle with a label on it, spirituality is the thing inside;” live for today and not for wishful placement in heaven. In order for the dance to connect with other villages about religion and power it depends on the rhythms and the traditional background. In Nigerian history, there were specific dances for communicating with certain gods (Bergho 27). However, dance does not call the spirits, they affect the human beings. Dance is used to help put the body into a state of trance and enable the individual to ‘see’ the spirit world (African Holocaust). The rhythm and volume of the drums has the power to call and communicate with the spirits. The call and response that the dancer and drummers perform is a way for the Yoruba people to communicate with the gods of their specific religion. The Yoruba people communicate with gods for rain, bountiful harvest, and blissful life; “Even if they hurl accusations at one another in the course of the dance, the next moment, the people become a unit, singing, clapping and moving together” (African Holocaust). Although the historical function of Nigerian dance was to communicate with the people from the other villages and the gods above, today, they perform these dances for enjoyment for their audiences.   
The modern day function of Nigerian dance is still used as communication, but more for performance purposes. THE NAME AND PERFORMANCE OF MODERN DANCE!!! The dances are performed for certain ceremonies and religious events and festivals (Ajayi 43). Even though they tend to perform the same traditional dances that were once used as a secret language, now these dances are supposed to be enjoyed and not broken down to relay a secret message. There are more celebrations in Nigeria after the imperialistic times, so the Nigerians are able to dance more without being worried if their messages would be un-coded by the Europeans. These dances are used for fun and communication, but not so much for another language to hide secrets; no longer is it necessary to communicate escape plans or depressed emotions. Before, the dances were meant to be dark and depressing, now, the Nigerian dancers want to portray their enjoyment and excitement. The foundation of African dance will never change; communication of emotions and events will always be the main function of Nigerian dance.
In modern day Nigerian dance is kept traditional. MODERN DAY DANCE THAT IS VERY TRADITIONAL!!!  The dancers are dancing with conviction and purpose. They want to preserve the value and keep the appreciation for the history of Nigerian dance alive (Bergho 12). The teaching of Nigerian dance has changed from generation to generation; however, Mr. Olubanjo Adigun is a Nigerian dance teaches and he only teaches the traditional Yoruba dances. He is an adamant believer in the preservation of historical Nigerian dance.  He stresses that if you are going to learn how to do Nigerian dance, it needs to be the traditional and the original version; which is to connect languages and break down barriers, even in the modern day. The historical dances that are danced today still hold commutative value in the Nigerian society. For example, these dances would be danced at festivals or for the king in Nigeria: the Fisherman’s dance would celebrate the end of the fishing days. The dance before the Harvest season begins is the Edo dance (Anonymous). The main type of dance that the Yoruba people dance is the Bi-Okoto dance which is the “twirling” dance. This dance is made up of mostly spins and twirls. The women’s buba flares up and creates a beautiful visual of dancers dancing in sync with the wind. The women’s buba is specific to the dance that is being performed. The African garb matches the tone of the dance and the message of the performance. The headdress, iio, is something that is required for the women to wear for each dance (Dagan 45). In comparison to preserving the traditional dance, the drummers keep that same promise; they preserve the traditional drum beats and rhythms. In conjunction to my earlier statement, the rhythm of the drums and the dancing are a form of communication for the African tribes.
Dance has the ability to connect those of several different languages, religions and cultures; dance is the universal language. The Nigerians have proved to themselves and those of the western world that anything can be communicated through dance. The function of Nigerian dance for communication of secret messages, possession of literal and spiritual objects, religion and power has served the people of Nigeria well. The art of call and response has proved to show how helpful the volume of the drums and the visual excitement of the dancers for calling the people to the king, gods, or away from a dangerous situation. The historical and modern function of Nigerian dance have similarities, in that Nigerian dance is still a prominent form of communication.
After researching and learning more about the purpose and reason for Nigerian dance, I have come to realization that African dance, in general, is a wonderful and beautiful art form. After understanding the rich history behind the dance I have more of an appreciation for the Nigerian dancers. The Nigerian dance that I learned has a lot of bending over and crouching close to the ground. I know these steps have a lot of historical reference and tradition that sacred to their culture. It is a traditional Bi-Okoto dance which was used for communicating with the people of Nigeria.  I have had to change the way that I learn dances because Nigerian dance is a different learning process then in western culture dances. I am unable to count each step; I must be one with the drum (Adigun). This dance is choreographed with multiple turns and spins; I must bend my knees and get closer to the ground. These are the movements that I disliked in African dance, but after learning the history I am able to appreciate these moves because they hold value to the dancers and people of Nigeria. The step that bends over close to the ground is to appreciate the earth that we walk on. Next, I raise my arms high above me to give praise to the gods that have given me a life. I wrap my arms around my body to show that protection is all around and that I am blessed. I repeat these moves several times to create this dance that expresses my appreciation for the world that the gods have given me. Mr. Olbanjo Adigun told me that if you are not one with the drum the spiritual and visual parts of the dance are lost. I must listen and feel what the drum is saying. At the end of learning this dance and researching this topic, I have learned that there is more to the performance than just getting the steps correct. The Nigerian dance is so sacred to the culture; their dancers and drummer are highly respected and held at a high standard to always understand the meaning behind each dance. I must take the information that I learned and apply it to my criticism of African dance. I know now that each movement, each drum beat and each step holds historical value and could have been the message to escape from an European attack, or that the king is arriving, or that harvest season has begun. The historical and modern function of Nigerian dance is to communicate, so let us communicate through dance.




Works Cited
Adigun, Olubanjo. "Nigerian Dance." Telephone interview. Sunday Mar. 2014.
"AFRICAN HOLOCAUST | Music and Dance in African Religions." AFRICAN HOLOCAUST | Music and
Dance in African Religions. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.
Ajayi, Omofolabo S. Yoruba Dance: The Semiotics of Movement and Body Attitude in a
Nigerian Culture. Trenton, NJ: Africa World, 1998. Print.
Anonymous. “Bi-Okoto Educational Packet.” Anonymous. Print  
Bergho, Felix, Traditional African Dance in Context. Anonymous. Print
Dagan, Esther A. The Spirit's Dance in Africa: Evolution, Transformation, and Continuity in
Sub-Sahara. Westmount, QC, Canada: Galerie Amrad African Arts Publications, 1997. Print.
Murray, Jocelyn. Cultural Atlas of Africa. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1981. Print.
Parker, John, and Richard Rathbone. African History: A Very Short Introduction.
Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Welsh-Asante, Kariamu. African Dance: An Artistic, Historical, and Philosophical Inquiry.
Trenton, NJ: Africa World, 1996. Print.



Monday, March 31, 2014

Transcribed Interview


Transcribed Interview on Nigerian Dance with Olubanjo Adigun
My field expert is Olubanjo Adigun who is a professional Nigerian dancer and teacher. Adigun was brought to my attention by my former African dance teacher. The African dance circle in America is very close. She gave me a list of names of those who were well-versed in Nigerian dance. This interview was conducted in the month of March on a Sunday evening. This interview was conducted by telephone and a recording device. Olubanjo Adigun, received his inspiration for traditional dancing from his mother. She taught Olubajo traditional Yoruba dance during her early years, also brought him with her to the village ceremonies so he could learn the dances. In 1986, Banjo received his degree in Stage Management and Choreography. At that time, he and only 18 other artist were selected from an audition of 1,500 artists to represent Nigeria members of “African Heritage Dance Troupe.” This troupe performed throughout Nigeria, and became the “ambassadors” of traditional African dance and music. The troupe also travelled extensively throughout Europe, using dance as a tool to educate the Westerners on the realities and rich culture of their native land. Adigun  arrived in the United States for the first time in August, 1989 the newly formed Oduchiala Dance Troupe, bringing with them their own unique style and music. Adigun strives to preserve African tradition, culture and values through his teaching and performing. As of today, Adigun teachers at an African dance studio and is a professor in the art of dance.
Q: Is the Yoruba culture of Nigerian dance any different from African Nigerian Dance?
R: Yoruba is the culture of Nigeria mostly in the northern part of Nigeria and that is where my heritage comes from. There are three different regions in Nigerian:  Yoruba occupies the northern region, there is an Eastern and Southern part as well. Those are the three different cultures that make up the Nigerian culture.  They each speak a different language and there are over 500 languages in the Nigerian culture. There are a lot of different dialect and languages.
Q: What makes Nigerian dance different from other African dances?
R: African dances [in general] are very close and very similar in rhythm and steps. What makes Nigerian dance different is that you cannot take away the region and the culture from the dance and you cannot take the dance away from the region. They go together and cannot be separated; without the region you cannot have the dance and without the dance you cannot have the region. You have to understand the rhythm of the drum before you can understand Nigerian/ Yoruba dance. The drum is talking to you and you are responding to what the drum is saying, so both of you are talking to each other. The drum is saying oo bam u oo bam u and you are saying “do like this do like this.” You are the dancer and you have to respond to that [rhythm] and you are doing exactly what the drum is saying. You are talking to each other. You are one with each other; when the drum talks to you, you talk back with your body. You respond to the drum, and that is the basic of African dance. You talk back and forth with [the drum]; whereas in the Western world you count and you don’t listen to what the drum is saying. [You must] respond to what the drum is saying. When the drummer looks at you, you will respond to what he drum is saying and your body responds. It is not ballet we don’t do that.  
Q: Are there any specific drums that you use for the dances?
R: Well in the Yoruba culture we have the juju ban drum; it makes the sound dun dun. We have the talking drum from the Yoruba culture as well. Like I said the drum talks so we call it the talking drum. When the drum is talking you listen and that is how you communicate with each other. When the king wants to communicate with the people, we send out a drummer and the drummer will knock on the drum. This will tell the people it is time to listen to the word. When we hear what the drum is saying then we can begin to understand what the king’s message is, so it is very important in the Yoruba culture. A part from the talking drum the dun dun, there is a cow bell also called the ago ago. The ago ago is the gong of the cow bell, when the gong is played and you hear a gong from the king’s tower it is telling you come around I have a message. Come wherever you are and come around and hear what the king is saying. When people hear the gong they come running to hear the message. If you are not around to hear the message from the talking drum then the message will eventually get to you. It is ultimately a call and response between the drummer and the dancer.
Q: Do you notice a prominent change between African Nigerian dance and American Nigerian Dance?
R: If you learn from me, Olubanjo Adigun, I will have to teach you the authentic Nigerian dance, but if you learn from the people that I have taught it might be [slightly] different. There will definitely be a difference because there is always going to be individual uniqueness. If my student wants to teach it might be a little bit different. He will keep the originality, but the rhythm might be a little bit different. Please don’t try to make it too American because you cannot count you must understand the drum. I stress that the most to my students here if you cannot respond to the drum you cannot just do whatever you want. If you have to count that is not the right way to dance. I try as hard as possible to stay away from counting.  I am very strict with my class; I tell them don’t count because if you count you are not going to listen to what the drum is saying and you are not going to get the authenticity of the dance.
Q: What is Bi-Okoto?
R: Bi- Okoto it is literally meaning like a spinning top that turns round round round round. That is the literal meaning of okoto. It literally means top and when we dance, we swirl around and that is where that name comes from.  
In conclusion, my interview was very successful. Adigun was very helpful with answering all of my questions. He cleared up a lot of my confusion with the Yoruba dance versus the Nigerian dance. His pneumonic examples and responses made it easier for me to envision the drum and the dancers. The most helpful response that furthers my thesis in my capstone is the response to, “what makes Nigerian dance different from other African dances?” The response explaines that there is no difference between Nigerian dance and other African dances; they are all used to relay messages and for communication between the king and the villagers. The information about how the dances are danced and how it is all movement to the music; there is no counting. The dancers must communicate and move in sync with the drum without step counts, which is completely the opposite for Western dances. Compared to my background reading, Adigun’s responses were parallel with my previous readings. Adigun’s examples of the drum beats and the definition of what Bi-Okoto improved my understanding of what is going on when the dances are being performed. Mr. Olubanjo Adigun was an essential part to my project and has improved and clarified all of my previous confusion and information. This interview has furthered the success of my capstone on the historical and modern ways of communication through Nigerian dance.



Monday, March 10, 2014

Completed Capstone Outline

Nigerian Dance Capstone Outline
Thesis Statement: The function of Nigerian dance has changed over time, but the importance of Nigerian dance has remained the same.
Intro:
Most dances you can separate from their country of origin, but Nigerian dance is close to impossible to separate the dance from the culture or vice versa. The Nigerian culture is rooted in dance. Their stories are told through dance and the stories yet to come will be interpreted through dance as well. Every step and drum rhythm has a meaning and a story behind it. The history of Nigeria is tied to their dance and that is the phenomenal imagery of the Nigerian dances. The dances are used for communication and they “illustrate the meaning and underline the symbolism of those occasions” (Ajai 1). After centuries of history and culture clashes, the function of Nigerian dance has changed to meet modern day needs but, the importance of Nigerian dance has remained the same.
  • Nigerian dance/ southwestern culture holds all of the history and stories from the beginning of African time.
“Africa had no history to speak of. Not only were its societies regarded as primitive and unchanging, they were believed, due in large part to the widespread absence of literacy, to posses no collective historical consciousness” (Oxford 3)


“For a visitor to present- day Africa, or for a consumer of African culture outside the continent, this diversity is most apparent in the realm of representation, especially artistic expression: music, dance, the plastic arts, architecture, clothing, bodily decorations, and so on” (Oxford 26).
    • The culture clashes in Nigerian history are some of the main reasons for the interpreted stories through dance.
      • Ancient Yoruba was a Christian culture, but the practice of Christianity was corrupted by “’heathenism’, political fragmentation, and the slave trade” (Parker  42).
      • Being corrupted by colonial conquest with politics and the slave trade is a main reason why Yoruba culture is so rooted in their beliefs and practices. For a second, the Nigerians, realized that their culture could be completely decimated by the Europeans.
    • The Yoruba culture is an example of a project or an experiment of colonial conquest. The Europeans constantly attempted the projects of ‘ethnogenesis’ with militarized aristocracy and Christianized elites to “revamp and expand European ideologies” (Parker 43).  
      • Ethnogenesis (from the Greek ethnos ἔθνος, "group of people" or "nation", and genesis γέννησις, "origin, birth", pl. ethnogeneses) refers to the process of formation or emergence of ethnic groups.
      • The dances that the Nigerians perform are all from a story of slave trade, European imperialism and other culture disagreements.
      • Because of the imperialism and the conquering of the African continent and Nigeria, itself, dance was used to communicate with others. It was considered a different language; “African dance… [a] spoken language, is a source of communication through which is possible to demonstrate emotion” (Weish 13)
  • There are other ways to communicate, but the people of the Yoruba culture in Africa, decided that dance was a better way of communication.
    • These dances hold original meaning and representation. Not only are they beautifully choreographed, but they are motion picture of history.
      • “African dance translates everyday experiences into movement” (Weish 14).
      • African dance is used to interpret everyday life and what is going on. It is like telling a story with music and movement.
    • The original dancers were disciplined a certain way in order to keep the secrets of the dances.
      • The original dancing was very sexual and was not encouraged for the younger of the children to perform.
      • “This movement, pelvic contractions, was used in all categories of dances.”
      • It was considered a “sexual notion” ( Weish 15).
    • Slavery in Africa was a major culture clash and the disagreement with the practice was expressed through rapid gyrations of the body to a drum beat.
      • Despite the distance from northern and southern Africa, most of the same destruction and communication from colonization was the same.
      • “Trade, slavery and Islamic colonization have resulted in the Islamazation of African music [and dance]” (Murray  90)
      • The history of Nigeria has been one of the main determining factors with the evolution of African/ Nigerian dance.
      • “The shape of current Africa music and dance in Africa results from a variety of historical changes: ecological, cultural, social, religious, political” (Murray  92).


  • Historically, Nigerian dance was used to  unite different languages from different villages that are in close proximity (different dances that mean certain stories that are communicated through the Nigerian culture).
    • Dance was used as a form of possession.
      • Patterns were the understood language of the dances and music.
      • “Musical patterns are often conceived as verbalized in black African cultures” (Weish 93)
    • Today, the historical stories that are now performed and traditional dances.
      • The dances in Nigeria are portrayed to be very rich in patterns and costumes and rhythms.
    • Dance is also used to portray religion/ power.
      • Since Nigeria is a very wealthy and powerful African country, the government is very strict and the people, of today are “protesting against oil companies in parts of Nigeria because it is ruining their environment” (Bi-Okoto Educational Packet 7).


  • In modern day times, Nigerian dance is still kept traditional.
    • The dancers are dancing for a certain purpose.
      • There are several dances and reasons to dance.
      • Each dance in the Nigerian culture is for a specific reason.
        • Fisherman’s Dance
          • The celebration for the end of the fishing days
        • EDO
          • The dance before Harvest season
        • Bi-Okoto
          • The “twirling” dance
    • There is a meaning for all of the costumes.
      • The women wear a certain skirt, which depends on the dance that is being performed.
      • The headdress is something that is required for each dance, by women (Dagan  45).
    • Is the rhythm the same and the same meaning in the African dances performed today?
      • The drums are a call and response rhythm.
      • In conjunction to my earlier statement, the rhythm of the drums and the dancing are a form of communication for the African tribes.


  • The modern day function of Nigerian dance is still used as communication, but more for performance purposes.
    • The dances are performed for certain ceremonies and religious events and festivals.
      • There are more celebrations in Nigeria than I Africa so there are more reasons and opportunities to dance.
    • The teaching of Nigerian dance has changed from generation to generation.
      • Today, children are taught the traditional dances.
      • My interviewee is a Nigerian dance teacher and he only teaches the traditional Yoruba dances.
      • He believes that if you are going to learn how do to Nigerian dance; it needs to be the traditional and original version (Bergho 12).
    • The steps and the communication of today still remain traditional with modern function.
      • The dances are still used for fun and communication, but not so much for another language to hide secrets.
      • African dance is still used to connect languages and break down barriers still to this day.
Conclusion 
Works Cited
Ajayi, Omofolabo S. Yoruba Dance: The Semiotics of Movement and Body Attitude in a
Nigerian Culture. Trenton, NJ: Africa World, 1998. Print.
Anonymous. “Bi-Okoto Educational Packet.” Anonymous. Print  
Bergho, Felix, Traditional African Dance in Context. Anonymous. Print
Dagan, Esther A. The Spirit's Dance in Africa: Evolution, Transformation, and Continuity in
Sub-Sahara. Westmount, QC, Canada: Galerie Amrad African Arts Publications, 1997. Print.
Murray, Jocelyn. Cultural Atlas of Africa. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1981. Print.
Parker, John, and Richard Rathbone. African History: A Very Short Introduction.
Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Welsh-Asante, Kariamu. African Dance: An Artistic, Historical, and Philosophical Inquiry.


Trenton, NJ: Africa World, 1996. Print.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Monday, February 24, 2014

Interview Questions

Kiara Lewis
Clothier
Capstone Project
February 2014

Capstone Interview Questions
For my interview, I will interview a professional Nigerian dance teacher. His name is Olubanjo Adigu. He has been dancing Nigerian dance for over 30 years. I chose him as my field expert because he is very knowledgeable about the topic of Nigerian dance history.  What I hope to gain from this interview is a more specific type of culture of the history. I will begin my interview with questions that are very specific. I want to know how he started dancing, where he is from, how long he has been dancing and how long he has been teaching. These questions will open the conversation and will help the interview progress. These questions will help me understand how verse he is in his craft.
My next few questions will then move towards the history and everything he knows personally about the Nigerian dance.  I want to know how far he is removed from Nigeria, did he grow up there, what village is he from, and are there difference between Yoruba Nigerian dance and other villages’ Nigerian dance. These questions will allow me to shape the rest of my questions geared towards him specifically: does he dance with his family, who taught him how to dance, how he got inspired to dance, why he dances today, how Nigerian dance has influenced his life.
My last few questions will be the most specific and will need the most elaboration. I plan for these answers to lead me to more questions that I cannot forecast. I want to know what the meaning of Nigerian dance is. Why do Nigerian’s dance, what is the story behind all of the moves and the drum beats of the dance. I want to know the specific garments that they wear and what they mean. I want to know the difference between Nigerian dance and other African dances.
These questions range from very specific to very general. I believe that the interviewee is very intelligible about Nigerian dance and will be able to answer all of my questions thoroughly and completely. I plan on learning so much from this interview and I will be able to search and expand on a lot of the topics he brings up. This interview will be taken over the phone so the clarity of the conversation is important. I am very excited to interview this man and I know it will be like interviewing a talking book.


Saturday, February 8, 2014

Annotated Bibliography

Kiara Lewis
Dr. Clothier
Capstone Project Annotated Sources
4 February 2014
The History of Nigerian Dance: A List of Annotated Sources


Ajayi, Omofolabo S. Yoruba Dance: The Semiotics of Movement and Body Attitude in a
Nigerian Culture. Trenton, NJ: Africa World, 1998. Print.
       
This source provides information on the Yoruba culture. Yoruba is one of the major cultures in Nigeria. This focuses on the history of Nigeria as a whole. This book analyzes what makes Nigerian dance, Nigerian. It explains and summarizes where the dance comes from, who dances it, and what it means in today’s society. The chapters that will be useful for my investigation are: “Dance in Ancient Yorubaland,” “The Dance Culture in Contemporary Nigeria,” and “Dance in Religious Communication.” This book is full of historic examples of where Nigerian dance came from.
        This source will be very helpful for my capstone. I believe that this source is where most of my information will come from. It is a book full of facts, photos, and stories of the Nigerian and Yoruba culture and their dances. This source focuses on the “Semiotics of Movement and Body Attitude in a Nigerian Culture.” This is the perfect source that will answer all of my specific questions. The writing, itself, is approachable and easy to understand. I will have trouble correctly pronouncing the names of these iconic dancers/ dances i.e. Ijo Obatala, but I will learn the correct pronunciation for my oral presentation. This source compared to my others, this one will be the strongest one. It focuses on dance in Nigeria which is exactly what I need.
        This source has helped me narrow down my original idea with Nigerian Dance. This source helps me focus on the specific culture that created Nigerian dance. Yoruba is a culture of dance. This source has chapters about the steps, the rhythms, the colors, the history and the culture of Nigeria. It is written by a native Nigerian and the credibility of this source is un-doubtful. This will be the main source for my capstone.
       
Dagan, Esther A. The Spirit's Dance in Africa: Evolution, Transformation, and Continuity
in Sub-Sahara. Westmount, QC, Canada: Galerie Amrad African Arts Publications,
1997. Print.


My second source that I will be using in my capstone about Nigerian dance is the Spirit’s
In Africa: Evolution, Transformation, and Continuity in Sub-Sahara. This source is like an encyclopedia about dance in Africa. This book has every single culture in Africa and all of the dances that are there to perform. There are maps and pictures that help the reader visually understand the culture and geography of Africa. This book is full of information about any type of African dance that is danced.
        This source will not be the most helpful to me because it covers all African dance and not just Nigerian. There are a few pages in this source that mainly focus on what Nigerian/Yoruba dance is. With this encyclopedia style, it is difficult to focus only on Nigerian dance, but that is something that I can easily overcome.
        This source will help me with more of the general information about Nigeria. This book has information on the background and cultural history as well. I will not solely use the information in this book for my capstone because it is so general. I will back up the information I read from this source, with another source that is more specific to the culture of Nigeria dance.


Murray, Jocelyn. Cultural Atlas of Africa. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1981. Print.
       
Like the source above, this one is also an encyclopedia style book. This source is not as narrow as Spirit’s In Africa: Evolution, Transformation, and Continuity in Sub-Sahara; this one is about Africa as a continent and the culture and history. This book gives insight of the wars and the struggle of the African people. This source has a chapter on Nigeria that I will focus on.
        The pages of this source are laid out as a history book. It is intimidating at first, but I will learn how to decipher and dissect the information that I will need to move forward with my capstone. This source compared to my other sources is rich with African history and culture but lacks in the history of dance in Nigeria. This source will allow me to answer my more general questions about Nigeria in Africa.
        This source has helped me understand, as a whole, what Africa has been through. I will not use this source as much as The Spirits Dance in Africa or Yoruba Dance, but I will use it more than relying on unreliable sources from the internet.
       
Welsh-Asante, Kariamu. African Dance: An Artistic, Historical, and Philosophical Inquiry.
Trenton, NJ: Africa World, 1996. Print.


My last, but not final source for my capstone is a series of chapters from a larger book about African Dance. This book is a combination of several essays from dancers, choreographers, professors and writers about African Dance. The chapters that I will focus on are specifically about Nigerian/ Yoruba dance. It gives visual evidence and a timeline of Nigerian dance in Africa.
The outline of this source is easy to digest. The layout is a comfortable style; it is easy to understand what these writers are trying to get across. This source gives me the information that will help me further my project. This source explains what the steps mean, what the rhythm and the drums mean, and the garments that are worn during the dance. This source also focuses on Bi-Okoto, which is the style that most Nigerian dances emulate. Bi-Okoto is the base of most Nigerian dances and I will learn the base dance from a dancer who is educated in Bi-Okoto, Adebola and Jeaunita Olowe.

This source narrows down my search because it has led me to what exactly Nigerian dance is. This source will answer all of my specific questions that will help further my capstone. This source is the definition of Nigerian dance. There are pictures, outline of steps, drum rhythms written out, garments described, and the history rewritten. This source, in conjunction with, Yoruba Dance will be the main sources for my information for my capstone on Nigerian dance.