African American Dance History

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African American Dance History Professor David
J. Popalisky
Zaire, Ngbaka harp, wood and skin
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Class Welcome

• Who am I
• Who are you
• Getting to know you questionnaire
• Class atmosphere a collective dialogue that
  needs everyones open contributions, questions
  and comments. My goal is to guide this dialogue
  and hopefully foster an excitement about the
  process.

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Artifacts - what can we discover from, how do we
react to
images of another century? 70 year old film
clips? a poem?
4

The Little Colonel - Bill Robinson and Shirley
Temple
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Syllabus Details

• Reading - due on day listed. Bring two questions
  on reading to each class.
• Watch videos - a few in media lab, most in class.
• Quizzes - online, generally after Thursday.
• Assignments - a quick look. More specific
  guidelines to be handed out

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Syllabus Highlights

• Class guests - recent experiences with
  Afro-centric dance
• Dance class with Blanche Brown in Afro-Haitian
  dance
• Alvin Ailey Dance Concert in late February

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Upcoming Events

• Choose partners for Project One by Tuesday, Jan.
  16
• MLK Night - Jan. 15, Mayer Theatre
• Sign up for ANGEL this week

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How is Dance History?

• How can we access a group of people, their
  lives, their triumphs and tregedies through
  dance?
• How do we understand or read dance?
• What does it tell us about the people, and
  circumstances of their lives, of their dances?
  Are these two different?

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How is Dance History?

• Dance reveals meaningful information, tells us
  about the people.
• Why did they dance?
• Religious, ritual
• Secular, social
• Performance, entertainment
• Community how does one relate to a community
• Where did they dance?
• In - secret places (voodoo, slavery)
• Jook houses, rent parties
• In the open, in public
• In performance

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How is Dance History?

• How did they dance?
• African based roots
• Blends with European forms interactions with
  other cultures. Irish - lowest social class of
  whites meant greater interaction with free
  blacks. Irish are the early minstrel performers.
• Jazz and tap
• Who danced?
• Slaves
• Minstrels
• Octaroons
• 20th C artists - popular and concert

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How is Dance History?

• For who did they dance?
• Whites
• Blacks
• Mixed audiences
• When did they dance?
• Holidays
• Saturday nights
• In performance
• High art and popular art - different contexts,
  intentions and audiences

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