Perhaps no other dance generates
life in such great proportion that it demands.
In my 11 years of study, I see that African dance is
an enthralling life course, no different than a master path followed by a
spiritual guru. The more a dancer studies the art, the more the dance adapts to
the needs of the dancer and her community, helping her stir and awaken her powerful
soul and helping others do the same.
I first started African dance as an experiment, to
prove to my athletic 17-year-old self that no physicality was above my ability. A championship volleyball player and track
star at the time, African dance was simply another sport to add to my docket of
achievements. That was until I first learned the West African dance of
Mendiani, a dance taught to me by the ephemeral Diadie Bathily, the Ivory
Coast-born director of Afriky Lolo in St. Louis, Missouri.
Within days, I not only excelled at Mendiani but I deeply
loved the the rites of passage dance on a soulful level. The dance absolutely called
out my artistry, added bold dimension to my firecracker energy, and invited my
soul to transcend school and dive into world of discovery.
Now as a choreographer, teacher, and researcher I
see how so many people try to learn African dance starting with the feet, or
from the head.
But beyond the body, African dance starts in the
soul, with a whimsical, mischievous desire determined to break to a higher
level of expression. Through African dance, that very desire, that very soul
has the power to communicate with the epic wisdom of the ancients, stir the
masses, and set a vision for the future.
That very soul is the reason we dance African dance.
Because it’s an art which ripples from the core of you, and it’s an art whose
work is never done.
So, next time you plant a step in motion, start
there, start from the soul. With many souls thrillingly propelled in the dance,
we can energize lives, cities, and the world!
Malena Amusa
