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ABSTRACT
Rhythmic virtuosity or moving with “percussive attack” is an ultimate performance quality for Black/African dance. The practice of musicality is a window into a dynamic system of intersubjective communal creativity. Drumming, for example, provides percussive sensorial information that directs a dancer’s somatic and choreographic response. Cognitive scientists are interested in the intersubjectivity of learning. To add to this conversation, I want to describe how thinking, creativity, and artistry are actuated within two ethnographic vignettes of African diaspora dance that exemplify how thinking, creativity, and artistry are an intersubjective process. Hence, the focus of this article is to examine and reflect upon how rhythmic virtuosity is taught and achieved in Guinea and House dance, and what revelations are gained about how a dancer’s thinking is situated, extended, and galvanized by music.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Matthew Henley, the editorial team, and peer reviewers for their support in developing this paper. Much gratitude for the insights in dance education I gained from studying with Moustapha Bangoura and Allison Gray. Special shout out to Kyra Colah for diligent proofreading and formatting help.
Notes
1. In this article, this term is used to describe African/African diaspora dance practices on the continent such as Guinea, Senegal, and Mali. Additionally, it refers to dance that emanates from communities of African descent in North America, the Caribbean, Middle East, Central America and more (see Amin Citation2016). I also use the term Black dance as a synonym for African diaspora dance.
2. Manjani is a rhythm and dance of the Malinke people who live across Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, and more. This rhythm is associated with female rite of passage.