Collection Africa
Explore a rich tapestry of music, dance, drumming, and theater performances and conversations ranging across a number of countries and regions in Africa.
Five(ish) Minute Dance Lessons: African Dance
Learn the history and basics of African dance
African dance refers to a wide variety of dances and movement styles performed in those countries located south of the Sahara Desert. Dancer Rujeko Dumbutshena and drummer Farai Malianga introduce traditional rhythms and movements from their native country Zimbabwe.
Before you get started, think about what you already know about different types of dance. Keep this in mind as you explore the videos.
Lesson Content
Carousel Controls
Rhythm of the Drum
Rhythm is the driving force behind African dance and many styles can immediately be identified by their characteristic rhythmic beats. Dancers respond to percussive patterns created by drummers, who in turn respond to the dancers. It is a dialogue assisted by spectators who participate in the performance by clapping or stamping their feet. Dancers are judged by how well they are able to follow the rhythm.
African dance is polyrhythmic, meaning that different rhythms are expressed using various parts of the body. The chest, pelvis, arms, and legs may all have their own rhythm, but be moving at the same time. The complexity and challenge of African dance stems from this use of the whole body.
Your Own Interpretation
Some African villages have dance masters who train young students in their region’s dance styles. Students are expected to learn the steps exactly as they are taught. Once the dance is mastered, however, it is possible to improvise and add new patterns within a particular dance style. Dancers may even engage in friendly competitions with each other or with a lead drummer, pushing them to even more creative interpretations and quick responses.
Additional African Dance Videos
Carousel Controls
A Sense of Community
There’s no doubt about it—dance brings people together. This is especially true of African dance, which is an expression of communal life. Dance helps individuals know their roles in the community and helps pass on cultural values and a sense of identity.
Why Dance?
Special events: Dances are performed for a variety of life events, including births, funerals, and coming of age. These dances bring community members together to support individuals who are undergoing a critical life change.
Social values: A dancer must learn how to lead, follow, and be part of a group. Dances for girls are often separate from those for boys, reinforcing cultural gender roles.
Expressing skills: Warrior dances train young men in strength, agility, balance, and timing. Work dances demonstrate skills needed for different occupations. For example, “fishermen” from Nigeria have net-throwing gestures in their dances, while “hunters” may mime animal movements and their capture. Everyday work actions are also included, like hanging out the wash or shaking a basket.
Social recreation or ritual celebration: Dances can be done simply for fun, or to give thanks to the gods for a good harvest or a successful hunting expedition.
In addition, dance gatherings are deemed successful if they create cohesiveness in the community. Attitude is important: A dancer’s social skills are just as valued as his or her technical skills.
The Dances of Africa
The climate and conditions where people live is reflected in the dances they perform. For example, the Ijo people of the Niger Delta fish in rivers, creeks, and wet mangrove forests. When they dance, they bend forward with their torso almost parallel to the earth, and step lightly with quick precision, as if picking their way through a swamp.
In contrast, those Africans living on open savannahs reflect the expansive space they live in and farm. When they dance, they use a wide stance by placing their feet firmly on the solid soil.
You may want to research other groups from Africa and find out more about how their dance traditions reflect their traditional way of life.
Check out:
- Maasai people
- The Yoruba people
- The Jukun people
Resources to Explore
Resources on African dance, and dance-drumming
Find information on drumming and dancing
-
Writer
Kirsten Bodensteiner
-
Editor
Lisa Resnick
-
Producer
Kenny Neal
-
Published
September 6, 2019
Related Resources
Collection Dance
What’s the difference between troika and hula? How can dance tell stories and preserve histories? Discover dance and its impact on culture by exploring Ancient Egyptian rituals and Native American legends. Learn how dance tells stories and poems through a language of movement and music, and pick up a few moves yourself.
Media African Drumming
You can’t have African dance without music. The two are inseparable; the dancers are drumming and the drummers are dancing. Learn about two drums—the cajon and djembe —and how to play a rhythm called Funga.
Media Do You Wanna Dance?
Want to understand how dance works? Learn the five elements that make up the foundation of this art form: body, action, time, space, and energy.
Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning
Eric Friedman
Director, Digital Learning
Kenny Neal
Manager, Digital Education Resources
Tiffany A. Bryant
Manager, Operations and Audience Engagement
JoDee Scissors
Content Specialist, Digital Learning
Connect with us!
Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;
Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..
The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.