|
|
What I know about the intricacies of African dance is about as much as a little boy knows about constructing a building by peeping through a fence.
Nevertheless, I will give my interpretation of Kariamu Asante's outstanding analysis of African Dance (African Culture p. 71-82) to help illustrate what made ancient Africans such brilliant and creative thinkers in multiple planes of existence.
Notice in her description of the seven African aesthetic senses that attention is paid to all sections of the universal ladder (stretching from the earth world to "the heavens").
The first sense is polyrhythm, the motion sense in rhythm that touches many dimensions. An African signature in dance is to represent the cosmos in the body as a way of showing respect to God, people, and nature. The deeper one travels into this world, the more one feels, hears, and appreciates.
Second, is polycentrism -- happenings in the occupation of a time frame -- a "snapshot" of multiple senses present within a given moment -- sense happenings like sound, movement, color, and texture.
Third is the curvilinear, as seen in form, shape, and structure. Form produces imagery while structure and shape help provide the dynamics for the viewers. The images are mirror-like reflections of history, mythology, and literature. Africans see supernatural power in the circle, the curve, the round -- the opposite of Western dance's reliance on the symmetrical, the proportional, and the profile-oriented form.
Fourth, is dimensionality in the dance -- the hazy sense that something "extra" is happening -- something with a deeper, extrasensory, extrashape texture -- something vibrating that speaks to the supernatural in space. Assessing experiences in terms of vibrations dates to the time of the Black Egyptian Hermes Trismegistus (?4000 B.C.).
In his Third principle he said: "Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." The speed of the vibrations is what creates the various levels of rungs on the universal ladder. For example, the more that feelings, good emotions, or thoughts giving rise to behaviors are about love and goodness, the higher the speed of their vibrations. The slowest vibrations result from hate and evilness.
African dance that is mystical and inspirational vibrates so rapidly as to take one above the senses and into the Sublime (located just below "the heavens").
Fifth is what Asante calls "epic memory" or "race memory" but what I call Afrocentric Mystic Memory. The importance of this memory is that it allows Afrocentric viewers to be an intimate part of the presented art or to draw on rhythms from this memory to create things like "The Blues" and "The Samba."
For Afrocentric people to reach human perfection in expression necessitates building on the "Race memory" because this "memory" is the "body" of the work itself -- its complexion -- its substance -- its viewer image stimulator.
Sixth is holistic, meaning that all parts of the creation have equal and not special prominence when being synthesized into harmony.
Seventh is the repetition for intensifying one movement, one sequence, or the entire dance. The repetition intensification progressively climbs toward ecstasy. Careful consideration of these seven senses will show they contain principles applicable to most aspects of our lives.
Acceptance of the Afrocentric Mystic Memory concept is aided by remembering it as a throwback to Africans who communed with their dead ancestors spirits as a source of wisdom (useful in problem solving). This advice can be received by believing it is available, by getting rid of all destructive thoughts and emotions; and by being quiet enough to hear "the voice of the silence."
Silence or stillness is as much a part of self-improvement as it is in dance or music. If you break the silence, you break the rhythm. While silent, become aware of what is happening inside you, on the surface of your body, and from outside forces coming into you from moment to moment. This is an excellent way to get started to "know thyself" and to acquire the knowledge to be powerful in all areas of life.
Joseph A. Bailey, II, M.D
|
