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African American dances in the vernacular tradition (academically known as "African American vernacular dance") are those dances which have developed within African American communities in everyday spaces, rather than in dance studios, schools or companies. African American vernacular dances are usually centered on social dance practice, though performance dance and concert dance often supply complementary aspects to social dancing. Image File history File links AmericaAfrica. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... African American history is the history of an ethnic group in the United States also known as Black Americans. ... Military history of African Americans is that of African Americans in the United States since the arrival of the first black slaves in 1619 to the present day. ... The Atlantic slave trade was the purchase of slaves in and transport from West Africa and Central Africa, into slavery in the New World. ... See also: African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) The civil rights movement in the United States has been a long, primarily nonviolent struggle to bring full civil rights and equality under the law to all Americans. ... Image:AfricanAmericans1. ... The Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws enacted in the Southern and Border States of the United States and enforced between 1876 and 1965 and affected African Americans and many other races. ... Reparations for slavery is a proposal in the United States for the federal government to pay reparations, in various forms, to slave descendants for the suffering and unpaid labor of their ancestors. ... The word Maafa (also known as the African Holocaust or Holocaust of Enslavement) is derived from a Kiswahili word meaning disaster, terrible occurrence or great tragedy. ... A.U.M.P. Church AME Church National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Black Jews may refer to a number of different religious and ethnic groups. ... Black Hebrew Israelites (also Black Hebrews, African Hebrew Israelites, Hebrew Israelites) are groups of people of African ancestry situated mostly in the United States who claim to be descendants of the ancient Israelites. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Doctrine of Father Divine are the teachings of the late Father Divine (d. ... IfÃ¡ is a system of divination that originated in West Africa among the Yoruba people. ... Voodoo redirects here. ... This poster of a Samoan snake charmer inspired the common image of Mami Wata in Africa. ... An Orisha, also spelled Orisa and Orixa, is a spirit that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumare (God) in the Yoruba spiritual or religious system. ... Palo Monte, or Regla de Palo is a religion of largely Bantu origin developed by slaves from Central Africa in Cuba. ... Akan may be: Akan people, an ethnic group from western Africa Akan States, any of several states organized in the 16th or 17th century by the Akan people Akan languages, a stock of dialects spoken by the Akan people Akan District, Hokkaido Akan, Hokkaido, a town in Akan District, Hokkaido... Lukumí or Regla de Ocha, most widely known as Santeria, is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional Yorùbá beliefs. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Garveyism is that aspect of Black Nationalism which takes its source from the works, words and deeds of UNIA-ACL founder Marcus Garvey. ... Black nationalism is a political and social movement arising in the 1960s and early 70s mostly among African Americans in the United States. ... Pan-African people are all people with African physical features. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... African Americans have had a tremendous impact on left-wing politics in the United States. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Black Capitalism is a name for a movement among African Americans to build wealth through the ownership and development of businesses. ... The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP, generally pronounced as EN Double AY SEE PEE) is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. ... The Southern Christian Leadership Conference Logo. ... The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE is a U.S. civil rights organization that played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. ... The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (or SNCC, pronounced snick) was one of the primary institutions of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. ... The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is a non-profit organization founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1915 as The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History by Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland. ... United Negro College Fund logo The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is a Fairfax, Virginia-based American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for black students and general scholarship funds for 39 historically black colleges and universities. ... The National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. ... The Links, Incorporated is an exclusive non-profit organization based upon the ideals of combining friendship and community service and was was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 9, 1946, from a group of ladies known as the Philadelphia Club to have focuses on civic, cultural, and educational endeavors[1... Sigma Pi Phi is the the oldest surviving black fraternity and generally considered to be the first black fraternity. ... Bud Fowler, the first professional black baseball player with one of his teams, Western of Keokuk, Iowa The Negro Leagues were American professional baseball leagues comprising predominantly African-American teams. ... African American culture is both part of, and distinct from American culture. ... African American studies, or Black studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In the United States, Historically Black Colleges And Universities (HBCU) (a type of minority-serving institution or MSI) are colleges or universities that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the African American community. ... African American art is a broad term describing the visual arts of the American black community. ... The Color Purple by Alice Walker African American literature is literature written by, about, and sometimes specifically for African Americans. ... African American music (also called black music, formerly known as race music) is an umbrella term given to a range of musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of African Americans, who have long constituted a large ethnic minority of the population of the United States. ... This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ... Detail from cover of The Celebrated Negro Melodies, as Sung by the Virginia Minstrels, 1843 The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the American Civil War, African Americans in blackface. ... African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also called African American English, Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), Black Vernacular English (BVE), or (usually pejoratively) Jive, is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language. ... The Gullah language is a creole language spoken by the Gullah people (also called Geechees), an African American population living on the Sea Islands and the coastal region of the U.S. states of South Carolina and Georgia. ... Louisiana Creole French (Kreyol Lwiziyen) is a French-based creole spoken in Louisiana. ... Contents: Top - 0â€“9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z (See also) Hank Aaron (born 1934), Baseball Hall of Famer[1] Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born 1947), basketball player[2] Ralph... This is a list of landmark legislation, court decisions, executive orders, and proclamations in the United States significantly affecting African Americans. ... This is an alphabetical list of African-American-related topics: Contents: Top - 0â€“9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A African American African American contemporary issues African American culture... Vernacular dances are dances which have developed naturally as a part of everyday culture within a particular community. ... Social dance is a major category or classification of danceforms or dance styles, where sociability and socializing are the primary focuses of the dancing. ... Performance dance is a major category or classification of dance forms or dance styles, where performance is the primary focus of the dancing. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Performance dance. ... Biss second full length proper. ...

Placing great value on improvisation, African American vernacular dances are characterised by ongoing change and development. Because they exist in social spaces and their main 'purpose' is self-expression, they are continually changing to reflect the needs, interests and personalities of their participants. They are also often characterised by their 'stealing' or 'borrowing' from other dance traditions and any particular African American vernacular dance shows clear evidence of its relationship to other, earlier dances. Philosophically, improvisation often focuses on bringing ones personal awareness into the moment, and on developing a profound understanding for the action one is doing. ...

The term 'vernacular dance' is often critiqued by dancers within a tradition as being unnecessarily 'technical'. Despite these (very legitimate) issues, the term is commonly used in dance studies literature internationally.

History

Slavery and dance

The phrase 'African American vernacular dance' is commonly used to refer to those dances which have developed within the African American communities of the United States from the 1600s. African slaves brought to America from the 1600s were representative of a wide range of ethnic groups, and their dance and cultural lives were similarly diverse. To speak of an 'African American vernacular dance' without qualification is to ignore the vast range of dance practices and traditions which developed from these African roots in communities across the United States. Afro-American dance in the earliest days was a response to the conditions of slavery. Cultural life for African slaves in America was controlled by slave owners, and varied between individual slave owners, local communities and the work in which slaves were employed. In general terms, though, we can say that much of the rich cultural and social life of African slaves in America was forbidden by slave owners (for a range of reasons, including social, religious, misunderstanding or simple cruelty), compromised by strict rules, replaced by the culture of the slave owners, or combined with this culture of the slavers to produce new hybrid forms. New and different cultural traditions developed not only in different cities across America, but on the properties of different slave owners. There were distinct regional variations in dance in African American communities even in the 1600s, developing as a combination of traditions from different African ethnic groups, the culture of slave owners and other groups within the immediate society, as responses to the musical and social lives of individuals in that community, and in response to different experiences under slavery. An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... November 5, 1605 â€” The Gunpowder Plot to blow up the British Parliament. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... World map showing the Americas CIA map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... November 5, 1605 â€” The Gunpowder Plot to blow up the British Parliament. ... An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... // In biology, hybrid has two meanings. ...

The American Civil War and Northern and Southern African American Dance

The American civil war saw social change in both the Northern and Southern states of America, with a reduction in slaves in the North, and, conversely, increases in slavery in the South in response to developments in cotton farming. There were, consequently, different types of dances developing in different parts of the country in response to these social forces. Just as music of the day reflected the everyday experiences of musicians, the dances of the day reflected the everyday lives of the dancers A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight against each other for the control of political power. ...

Cake Walk, Derision Dances and Plantations

Tap Dance and African American Dance

Emancipation and the Northern Drift

With emancipation came the liberty to travel. To generalise, African Americans travelling north brought with them the dances of the plantations and agricultural life. Northerners moving south brought urban dances. In the 1800s vaudville shows and bands criss-crossed the United States, linking Northern and Southern cities and carrying music and dance with them. Dancers travelled with the bands, including flash dancers who performed acrobatic feats, contortionists, tap dancers and many others. This new 'trade' in dance culture between previously isolated communities contributed not only to a developing African American national consciousness but also a rich cultural exchange and development of new dances which responded to these social changes. This English poster depicting the horrific conditions on slave ships was influential in mobilizing public opinion against slavery. ... Vaudeville was a style of multi-act theater which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... Contortionist performing Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is an unusual form of acrobatic display which involves the dramatic bending and flexing of the human body. ... The American style of rhythmic foot stomping known as tap dance was born in the United States during the 19th century, and today is popular all around the world. ...

New York and the Harlem Renaissance

Just as the Harlem Renaissance saw the development of art, poetry, literature and theatre in Harlem during the early 20th century, it also saw the development of a rich musical and dance life. The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African American art, literature, music and culture in the United States led primarily by the African American community based in Harlem, New York City, after World War I. Literary historians and academics have yet to reach a consensus as to when the period... For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ...

Clubs (Cotton Club), Ballrooms (Savoy Ballroom), rent party and other 'black spaces' as the birthplaces of new vernacular dances.
Theatres and the shift from vaudville to local 'shows' written and choreographed by African American artists.
Theatres as public forums for popularising African American vernacular dances.

For the 1984 film of the same name, see The Cotton Club The Cotton Club was a famous night club in New York City that operated during and after Prohibition. ... The Savoy Ballroom located in Harlem, New York City, was a medium sized ballroom for music and public dancing that was in operation from 1926 to 1958. ... For a rent party (sometimes called a house party or house-rent party), tenants hire a musician or band to play for a party and pass the hat to raise money to pay their rent. ...

The Swing era

Late 20s, 1930s and 1940s - lindy hop, Charleston, Texas Tommy Dancing the Lindy hop at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Sacramento, California, USA (2006) Lindy hop is an African American vernacular dance that evolved in New York City in the late 1920s and early 1930s. ... A USPS stamp from the Celebrate the Century series: Flappers Doing the Charleston by John Held Jr. ... The Texas Tommy is said by many to be the first swing dance. ...

The 1950s

Washington Hand Dancing

The 1960s

- Northern Soul, Motown Northern Soul refers to music and associated dance styles and fashions that were popular in the dancehalls of northern England, starting in the late 1960s. ... Motown Records, Inc. ...

The 1970s

- funk, disco Funk is an African American musical style. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

The 1980s

- Hip Hop, break dancing, popping, locking, voguing, cabbage patch Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... This USPS stamp depicts an 80s breakdancer and a boombox. ... In music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different though related playing techniques on the double bass and on the (electric) bass guitar. ... Locking (originally Campbellocking) is a comical street dance style. ... Cabbage patch may refer to: The Cabbage Patch Kids dolls The cabbage patch dance, which involves putting the hands together and moving them in a horizontal circular motion. ...

the 1990s and 2000s

- krumping, hyphy, snap dance, cha cha slide, Line Dance (Booty Call), Lean with it rock with it, walk it out, tootsie roll dance, butterfly dance, footworking, the roosevelt, juking, the chicken noodle soup. Krumping is a form of dancing that originated in the African-American community of South Central Los Angeles, California and is a relatively new form of the Urban Black dance movement. ... Hyphy (pronounced HI-fee; IPA: ) is a style of music and dance primarily associated with the Bay Area hip hop culture. ... The snap dance originated on the west side of Atlanta, Georgia, more specifically, the Bankhead neighborhood. ... Cha Cha Slide is a 2000 song/dance sometimes referred to as the Casper Slide. This song is often played at dance clubs and parties. ... Line Dance (Booty Call) is a rap/funk remix. ...

Performance, Competition and Social Dance

The idea of dividing performative, competitive and social dance in African American vernacular dance is largely an imposition of Anglo-European class and cultural values. In a vernacular dance culture there is often no distinction between 'dance' spaces and 'non-dances spaces'. Dance and rhythmic movement are as much a part of everyday life as language. In many cases dance has played a more central role than literacy (especially during slavery), particularly in the communication of history, tradition and culture between generations, much as has oral culture. Competition has long played an important role in social dance in African and African American social dance, from the 'battles' of hip hop and lindy hop to the cake walk. Performances have also been integrated into everyday dance life, from the relationship between performance and social dancing in tap dancing to the 'shows' held at Harlem ball rooms in the 1930s. World literacy rates by country The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use languageâ€“to read, write, listen, and speak. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... Oral culture is a tradition all over the world. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Dancing the Lindy hop at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Sacramento, California, USA (2006) Lindy hop is an African American vernacular dance that evolved in New York City in the late 1920s and early 1930s. ... Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the US South. ...

Social dance spaces

Juke joint, street parties, rent party and the importance of the front porch
ballrooms, cabaret clubs and church halls

Juke joint (or jook joint) is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring blues music, dancing, and alcoholic drinks, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. ... For a rent party (sometimes called a house party or house-rent party), tenants hire a musician or band to play for a party and pass the hat to raise money to pay their rent. ...

Competitive Dance

- Cake walks, the Harvest Moon Ball and battles Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the US South. ... Battles is an American instrumental rock band. ...

Learning to Dance in an African American Vernacular Dance Tradition

In most African American vernacular dance cultures, learning to dance does not happen in formal classrooms or dance studios. Children often learn to dance as they grow up, developing not only a body awareness but also aesthetics of dance which are particular to their community. Learning to dance - learning about rhythmic movement - happens in much the same way as developing a local language 'accent' or a particular set of social values. Children learn specific dance steps or 'how to dance' from their families - most often from older brothers and sisters, cousins or other older children. Because vernacular dance happens in everyday spaces, children often dance with older members of the community around their homes and neighbourhoods, at parties and dances, on special occasions, or whenever groups of people gather to 'have a good time'. Vernacular dance traditions are therefore often cross-generational traditions, with younger dancers often 'reviving' dances from previous generations, albeit with new 'cool' variations and 'styling'. This is not to suggest that there are no social limitations on who may dance with whom and when. Dance partners (or people to dance with) are chosen by a range of social factors, including age, sex, kinship, interest and so on. The most common dance groups are often comprised by people of a similar age, background and often sex (though this is a varying factor). The Parthenons facade showing an interpretation of golden rectangles in its proportions. ...

African American vernacular dance in the mainstream

Film, Theatre and Video Clips

- Hollywood musicals and stage (theatre)s: the Nicholas Brothers and Gene Kelly; Frankie Manning and Dean Collins ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theater combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... Interior of the 1928 B. F. Keith Memorial Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts. ... The Nicholas Brothers were a famous black tap dancing pair. ... Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 â€“ February 2, 1996), better known as Gene Kelly, was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Frankie Manning in HerrÃ¤ng, 2005 Frankie Manning or Frankie Musclehead Manning, born Frank Manning in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 26, 1914, is an American dancer, instructor and choreographer. ... Dean Collins, born Saul Cohen on May 29, 1917, in Columbus, Ohio, was an American dancer, instructor, choreographer, and innovator of swingdance. ...

- Music videos: Madonna and Missy Higgins: black dancers in white clips, black dances on white bodies, black music and dance in black bodies A music video (also video clip, promo) is a short film or video meant to present a visual representation of a popular music song. ... Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16, 1958), better known as Madonna, is a five-time Grammy award winning American pop singer, songwriter, record and film producer, dancer, actress, author and fashion icon. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Black Dances in White Communities

- contemporary swing dance communities - contemporary tap dance - hip hop classes and white b-boys

African American vernacular dance and a continuum of creative cultural expression

Lee Ellen Friedland and other authors argue that to talk about dancing in a vernacular tradition without talking about music or art or drama is like talking about fish without talking about water. Music and dance are intimately related in African American vernacular dance, not only as accompaniments, but as intertwined creative processes.

Jacqui Malone describes the relationships between tap dancers who travelled with bands in the early 20th century, describing the way tap dancers worked with the musicians to create new rhythms. Much has been written about the relationship between improvisation in jazz and improvisation in jazz dance - the two are linked by their emphasis on improvisation and creative additions to compositions while they are in process - choreography and composition on the spot, in a social context - rather than a strict division between 'creation' and 'performance', as in the European middle class ballet and operatic tradition. The American style of rhythmic foot stomping known as tap dance was born in the United States during the 19th century, and today is popular all around the world. ... Rhythm (Greek ρυθμός = tempo) is the variation of the duration of sounds over time. ... Philosophically, improvisation often focuses on bringing ones personal awareness into the moment, and on developing a profound understanding for the action one is doing. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans at around the start of the 20th century. ... Jazz dance has two meanings, depending on the era. ... Choreography (literally dance-writing, also known as dance composition), is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ... This article is about the continent. ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... Act 4 of Swan Lake: choreography by Petipa and Nureyev, music by Tchaikovsky. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ...

It is equally important to talk about the relationship between DJs MCs, b-boys and b-girls and graffiti artists in hip hop culture, and John F. Szwed and Morton Marks have discussed the development of jazz and jazz dance in America from European set dances and dance suites in relation to the development of musical artisanship. DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ... Graffiti (strictly, as singular, graffito, from the Italian â€” graffiti being the plural) is graphics applied without authorization to publicly viewable surfaces. ... Breakdancer in Ljubljana, Slovenia. ... An artisan, also called a craftsman,[1] is a skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular craft. ...

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