Diaspora Dictionary Part 2
by Thea Barnes
This glossary contains words that allude to specific cultural practices and/or political stances that precipitate dance making or characterise aesthetic preferences for performing and enjoying Dance of the African Diaspora.
Part 2: J - Q
J
Jazz Dance \ a broad term for American social and stage dance employing in the first instance popular social, jazz or jazz-influenced or even classical music depending on the choices of dancer or choreographer. As social dance the term vernacular is also used to describe those moves done for social or recreational activities. As a vernacular form, jazz dance originated in early 19th century African American social dances and were derived from several African, Western and South, movement vocabularies and affinities.
Ballroom and Tap dance also figure along side this genre as first a vernacular practice that developed into theatrical practice that finds its roots in African and also European social dance practices. The verbal vocabulary of these dance forms often reflected the character and body usage of the movement; Pigeon Wing, chicken wing, black bottom, snake hips, monkey, and mashed potatoes are just a few others. In the early 20th century diluted forms of African American social dances were adopted into mainstream social dance. Charleston, Jitterbug, foxtrot and twist, have movements traceable to African and early slave dances or European couple dancing adapted to jazz rhythms. These forms were also adapted for minstrel shows, vaudeville, revues, and early musical comedy. By the second half of the twentieth century a style emerged that drew on ballet, the modern dance expressions of practitioners like Katherine Dunham, and tap dance. It emphasized Europeanist body linearity and flexible torso, fast, accurate footwork with the feet basically natural or parallel and poly rhythmical exaggerated movements of individual body parts, such as the shoulders and hips.
Jitterbug \ American couple dance popular in the 1930s and 1940s, typically danced with great energy to big-band swing or similar syncopated music. Similar to the lindy hop, Jitterbug had a variety of steps and sometimes acrobatic swings, usually executed while holding one or both of the partner's hands. During World War II the jitterbug was spread worldwide by the United States armed forces. A more sedate version of the dance, jive, fast dance done to jazz or swing music, appeared in the 1950s as a popular rock music dance.
K
Kalinda \ is a stick-fighting dance tradition practiced during Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago possibly originated in the 19th century. It is also thought to be performed at wakes. It involves two fighters/dancers, each accompanied by a drummer and a chantwell singer. The chantwell singer's main purpose is to “trashtalk” the opponent fighter/dancer. It is believed that this tradition helped to bring Carnival to the streets. Kalinda is probably related to Maculelê.
Kumina \ Jamaica\ a sacred dance of the Bantu speaking peoples of the Konga origin; Jamaican rite of ancestral worship usually associated with wakes and entombments but may also be performed at births, anniversaries and thanksgivings. Dance and music are the strongest elements of Kumina ceremonies with the drum playing an integral part in the dance ritual.
L
Limbo \ dance of the West Indies where dancers pass under a horizontal pole; Trinidad and Tobago; competitive dance originally seen at Wake ceremonies for the dead
Ladja \ French Caribbean-fight dance of Martinique that resembles the kadjia of Benin; also called damié and formerly spelled l’ag’ya; Related to Kalinda, Capoeira is probably Maculelê if in not in origin, in form and executio.
M
Mambo\ believed by some to be the precursor to break dancing, mambo is a Cuban ballroom dance resembling the rumba or cha-cha; 20th century son music with two variations in dance; also a Vodou priestess
Minstrelsy \ primarily a white institution, the minstrel show was a three-part show presented in semi-circle arrangement with the music and dance influenced by traditional African forms. While minstrelsy was a compilation of African and European forms, music and dance that emerged contributed enormously to many subsequent musical genres.
The leading vehicle for popular music in the United States in the 19th century, minstrelsy banjo music influenced the development of ragtime, and its clog dancing, the evolution of tap dance. Minstrelsy presented grotesque parody derived from American racist ideologies. Originating and developed in the United States in the first half of the 19th century the minstrel show consisted of songs, dances, and comic repartee probably evolved from two types of entertainment popular in America before 1830: the impersonation of African Americans by European American actors between acts of plays or during circuses; and performances of African American musicians who sang, with banjo accompaniment, in city streets.
Providing artificial, class and racial distinctions, minstrelsy allowed characters to talk about things that were generally discouraged and dialogue to introduce many controversial ideas that did not exist in other places.
In Britain, where minstrel shows became absorbed in music hall and revue, performances continued to attract large audiences in the west end of London until the 1950s.
Moko Jumbie \ Trinidad and Tobago carnival masquerader on stilts.
Maculelê \ Brazil \ an Afro-Brazilian stick-fighting dance where a number of people gather in a circle called a roda with one or more atabaques drums positioned at the entrance of the circle. While the Maculelê rhythm plays on the atabaque individuals enter the circle brandishing a pair of long biriba wood sticks called grimas. Maculelê though in the past and occasionally currently is performed with machetes. Also, traditionally in Maculelê, the players wear dried grass skirts.The people in the circle participate by singing, those with sticks strike rhythmically. When the leader gives the signal to begin playing Maculelê, two people enter the circle. On the first three beats, they strike their own sticks together, making expressive and athletic dance movements, and on each fourth beat, they strike each other's respective right-hand stick together. This makes for a dance that looks like "mock stick combat". Maculelê is related to Capoeira and Samba de roda. All three of these art forms evolved together in the Recôncavo Baiano.
N
Nation Dance \ Caribbean - resembling the kele the Nation Dance is a type of ancestor ritual also known as the Big Drum Dance or simply saraca (sacrifice)
O
Orisha (USA), Orisa (USA), Orixa (Brazil) \ divinities, deities or divine spirits that manifest through dancing in Yoruba-based religions: in Cuba Santería, Lucumí, or Yoruba; in Trinidad and Tobago, Shango
P
Polyvalent \ Polyglot \ Pluralistic\ adjective used to describe the quality of taste, movement vocabulary, and aesthetic preference of a choreographer who resources several distinct movement languages and genres which in themselves have distinct aesthetic expressions of their own. The choreographer who combines dependent elements extracted from self and dancers’ movement experiences with varied genres. There are many words used to label this process and ability of choreographers within the African Diaspora who synthesise, extrapolate, and reinvent movement vocabularies for works presented in western contemporary dance theatre. Metisse, melange, syncretic, hybrid, and fusion are used
similarly.
Priprí \ social dance ensembles and accompanying dance of eastern and south western regions of Dominican Republic each with its own distinctive ensembles and music.
Q
Quadrille \ Cuadrilla in Dominican Republic; eighteenth and nineteenth century set dance. Danced throughout the Caribbean with varied dance/music
synthesises resultant of creolisation and other types of African and European amalgamations found in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, Virgin Islands, French Caribbean and St. Croix. French quadrille was derived from English-French contredanse or contradanza francesa in early nineteenth century. French quadrille was a set dance composed of five numbers: le pantalon, l’été, la poyule, la trénise, and the finale.
The Diaspora Dictionary …written and researched by Thea Barnes, is not meant to be a finite, complete or definitive work. It is however, to be taken as a piece to stimulate debate and support the enjoyment of dance.
