African Tribe Dance

Each country in Africa has its own language and customs including the way each of them dances. Every tribe has its own dance and each of them is significant to the people within the tribe. Inside the African community everyone dances. There are distinctive dances for certain associates of the tribe which include dances that are there are dances for women only or men only or the old or the young. These separate dances are closely related with ceremonial means of passage and can sometimes display the roles women and men portray within the community. For example, the Tutsi war dance- consists of men from Rwanda, portrays men as superior and masculine and they hold their war tools as they dance. In comparison to American music, well, there really
is not a comparison. Music in America has meaning, however, the dances do not and change every year. America does not tie the same meaning to dance and music the way African countries do. This essay will discuss the interrelationship between African music and dance and will compare them to how Americans view music and dance. In most parts of Africa, music and dancing can be seen as “activities of social occasions, that is, occasions on which the members of a community or a social group meet for recreation or for the performance of a ceremony or a rite.”(African Music) These dances can vary from being very lyrical and ballet style to being full of energy and complicated moves.
Within each country of Africa, every tribe has its own special dance that everyone within the clan knows. However, just because the people in the tribe are aware of it, it does not necessarily mean they can perform it, as some dances can be reserved for certain people. For instance, dances can include only men or women and they can include the youth or the old. An example for this would include the Tutsi dance that is an only men dance and portrays men as masculine and war heroes. Music and dance in Africa tell a story to their people. The relationship between the two is equal, just like in every country. The dancers go by the rhythm to determine the next move and whether or not to speed up or slow
down. In comparison to America, the meaning behind what music and dance means to them would be the main difference, but there are many similarities.
Music and dance brings Americans together, just like it does the clans in Africa. We Americans love music and when at a social event, if the DJ plays a common dance song, a percentage of the people will get up and dance. However, unlike the Africans, not everyone may know the dance. It is not something that has to be taught, though if someone asks to learn the dance, someone will teach them. Also unlike the African countries, we do not only dance at special gatherings, we dance together with family or friends, and we can be seen dancing in the streets or at supermarkets. Music is not really significant in the way that it has been passed down from generations to generations but it does bring people closer
together. In conclusion, African music will always have more meaning because it was passed down to them and each Africa country has its own dance within the tribes. The dances also signify something different and there are reasons for everything they do. In America, music and dancing is important to us, but only in the aspect that it brings people together and makes us look cool. One major difference in the way Africans perform their dance is the fact that they leave it on the dance floor, meaning that if they are flirting on the floor while they dance they leave it there and do not try to pursue the girl like they would if they are in America. In the states, if a girl and a boy were seen flirting on the dance floor, they would most likely be seen later together flirting and having a little make-out session. There is no leave it at the dance floor and is very culturally acceptable in today’s society than it would be in Africa.