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.

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.

February 2, 2014

I have gathered so many sources for my capstone
I have learned that Yoruba is the form of Nigerian Dance that is the most popular, this is the style that Nigerian Dance is!
First, I need to know and comprehend, fully, the history and culture of Nigeria, then I can move forward
My field expert lives in Philadelphia, but I found someone who teaches Nigerian Dance in Lawrence Kansas, I must go!

ATILOGWU DANCE- Nigerian

Letter of Intent

January 14, 2014

Dr. Matthew Clothier

The Pembroke Hill School Capstone Committee

5121 Stateline Rd.

Kansas City, Missouri 64112

Dear Dr. Clothier:

My capstone for the 2014 English year is going to focus on the history of Nigerian dance; what makes Nigerian dance, Nigerian? Having this be such a broad topic gives me the opportunity to dive in and choose any path I want to focus on. What I am truly interested in is what makes Nigerian dance different from other African dances. I want to know how the costumes, the instruments, and the drums make it so different from all of the other African dances. My reasons and motivation for choosing this topic is because I love dance. I am well educated in the art of ballet, tap, and other common forms of dance, but African dance is a form that I know little about. I want to take this opportunity to learn as much as I can about this type of dance.

My current knowledge of this subject is very minimal. I have danced African dance before, but it was a generic type of dance it was the “American- African” dance. It does have the same feel, but not the same costumes and drums that Nigerian dance has. This project moves me beyond my current knowledge by allowing me to experience real Nigerian dance. I will learn the meaning of the costumes, the different drums, and what makes the music different from other African beats. My guiding question of what makes Nigerian dance different from other African dances will help answer what is the history of this dance, what does each dance step mean, and most importantly, how is this dance danced, what are the rhythms.

This topic will move me out of my comfort zone by connecting me with professional Nigerian dancers who will teach me the craft. I will be put in a class of Nigerian dancers and will force myself to assimilate to the culture and learn what this dance means.  This project will allow me to immerse myself into a new art form. This will benefit the surrounding community by having one more body that knows where Nigerian dance comes from and will be able to share its story with those around.

The real world experience to this project is having myself partake in this dance. I will be able to take Nigerian dance classes and learn from the professionals, themselves. I will talk with them and take notes and learn everything I can from those who know this dance by heart. The estimated commitment to this fieldwork will be a couple of classes for some weeks, and an interview with the professional who can share with me everything I need to know to have a successful project. The contacts I have are from the dance studio, The Kansas City Metropolitan Dance Theater that offers African dance. I will be able to talk to the African teacher who will connect me to other African teachers that know practice, specifically, Nigerian Dance.

When my topic gets approved I will proceed with the African dance teacher, Terri Brown, and she will help me dive deeper in the African dance community. She will connect me to the dancer that knows the most about African dance which will help me further the success of my project. I will be able to meet with this person before and or after the dance class that I will take from them. This person will not only teach me the dance from Nigeria, but also my primary source for information. As of right now, I only plan to consult with Dr. Clothier and my field expert for my project, which is not a Pembroke Hill School faculty member.

I may encounter obstacles if my field expert is from Nigeria and their accent may be too strong for me to understand. If this does become an obstacle I will take my time and understand every word. The least I could do is to listen to their vital information that they have agreed to share with me. I will appreciate and not waste their time. 

This project will be exciting and full of fun music and dancing. I will learn what makes Nigerian dance, Nigerian. I will bring in the costumes and find the instruments that make the music so special to this dance. Having a project about dance will keep me interested, but having a project about a dance form I am not educated in will not bore me.

Sincerely,

Kiara Lewis

Class of 2014