MODERN MINSTRELSY in Afro-Latin dance

I toured the Afro-Latin festival circuit for many years. There was a time when organizers would ask instructors to do "improvised" line-ups, dress up in funny outfits and "entertain" the crowds. Some instructors were very good at it and were able to draw a crowd and clown about during these line-ups. The organizers loved it and asked for more. At some point even inserted it in the working contracts. 

To create audience participation is a skill. It's also very much part of the African-diaspora dance culture and something I grew up watching my Mum and others in the family do well to get other people involved in a dance-off or get the party moving. Nothing bad there. Simply, I always saw that as something truly done out of impulse, once you're caught in a space with people with "good vibes". I've also organized party events for over 10 years and this was the sort of thing that would happen naturally, a sort of combination of the DJ building up the music, people responding to it and the right time of the night. It was organic, and it could be started by anyone, teacher or student.

In the festival circuit it didn't feel this way. It felt like a "demand" by the organizers, who were mostly white European/American/Asian. Sometimes it was even timed(!) and there was a very grey line between it being a paid activity included in a contract or something that was "expected" from the instructors. The latter happened more often I must say. 

Reading Katrina Dyonne Thompson's "Ring shout, wheel about" book it truly reflected new light into this practice and I finally understood why I had so much resistance to doing this sort of activity as part of a contract. I was able to do it, when I wanted, and when I did it, I did it fully heartedly and channelled Mr Motivator (another black man actually) to get the crowd going. But... I felt used, somehow. I could never truly explain why, but I felt like I was a clown and all my dance knowledge, experience and wisdom was thrown overboard and devalued in just one second in favour of an insignificant moment of "invisible minstrelsy" well performed to the masses from a smiling instructor. In fact, some of those "instructors" have long been favoured, better paid and well treated, often arriving late to their own booked workshops and still have their contracts renewed. I don't undermine their work in any way, these instructors prepared their line-up choreo, got the crowd going,  and that's no easy feat. 

BATUKE International festival - London 2015

What was fascinating to watch was that the importance and value of Afro-Latin dance forms was completely obliterated by a moment of "mass entertainment" and although the ability to create a moment of "dance contagion" releases and shares the type of energy not easily accessible by individual practice, It's clearly an aspect of the form that has been influenced by the historical staging of race through performance, continues to influence cultural interactions and remains a conflicting aspect of the practice. Promoters and organizers valued these activities often well above any other knowledge and steered the Afro-Latin festival circuit in this direction whereby it was no longer a space for dance exchange and celebration but for holiday poolside entertainment and this has damaged yet again the image and development of Afro-Latin dance forms.

 3 WAYS OF COMMUNICATING YOUR MAAP JOURNEY

At the final stages of the MAAP process you are required to present in various ways: a written essay, an artefact and an oral presentation. Basically you know you're probably not going to be very good in at least one of them (!), or maybe you are amazing anyway in which case congratulations in advance!

I've got to say that so far this is the bit that I've loved the most. Getting creative in different mediums and exploring ways in which I can resume my 18th month journey in a 3-minute piece is the kind of challenge that I like to accept.

At the start of this course I struggled so much to learn how to write academically and organize all of my thoughts in a page within a given structure. Around half-way I was excited to be able to make links between what I was reading and my practice. At this stage when I look back it actually feels like I could write another two essays on all the themes I unpicked and side reflections around the conversations I had.

“The Joy of Dancing” Watercolor, Johan Lowie

My chosen artefact is movement on film with text. I chose to focus on the ultimate conclusion of my journey and create movement and text simply around that. Sometimes less is more, they say. I'm excited and in the editing stage. I found yet another skill I absolutely love to do.

The oral presentation...yeah...I'm used to speaking publicly but not doing academic presentations, so I'm thinking of ways in which I can present comfortably, possibly with movement...and if it was face to face... I would probably get food in...and drummers...you know, getting all those learning styles in...yeah it would probably turn into a party...so I might just stick to a slideshow.

 SHOULD WE LISTEN TO STUDENTS IN DANCE?

It's been an absolute blast to discover literature that was completely unknown to me and realize how much of this related directly to my dance practice. I found myself testing ideas and thoughts after reading in my dance classes which albeit were mostly online, permitted a more theoretical approach as opposed to a focus only on the physicality of things.

I found myself discussing with students about the nature and quality of movement, listening to their opinions and gathering a very good idea on how they viewed their dance practice. Interestingly I also realized that the voices of students in dance are not often heard. Why was such an archaic system still in place and was it favouring a good training in dance as a whole?

I remember that listening to a dance teacher was key to dance class. In fact, I cannot remember many instances where I felt I could ask a question during dance class. Listening to the corrections of others was my way to work on my own development, but, what about dance teachers listening to students?...The average Ballet, Jazz or Contemporary class is very traditionally teacher led with very little contribution from students. Somewhat, it seems a very unbalanced learning process and if you add cultural factors and learning styles...you need to truly re-think your pedagogical approaches in a 21st century space.

Throughout the enquiry I found that the most important quality was in fact to be able to listen well, really pay attention to what participants did or didn't say, to observe their body language, their hesitances, their excitement and facial expressions (I was able to interview participants with the recommended social distance and with no masks). During this time I was teaching young people and implementing ideas I was engaging with in the literature, and it completely transformed my teaching experience, specially with the reduced interaction online. 

 HIP (GNOSIS)

I had a flashback while reading Melissa Blanco’s “She is Cuba” and her theory of Hip(g)nosis (Blanco Morelli,2015), or, the knowledge of the hip (movement). I had been the recipient of stage introductions in the past and referred to as the mulata with the hip moves. Almost as if any other part of my creative body movement wasn't attached and related to my hips. Firstly however here is a definition of the word I found for those not sure what mulata means.

mu·lat·to

  (mo͝o-lăt′ō, -lä′tō, myo͝o-)

n. pl. mu·lat·tos or mu·lat·toes Often Offensive

A person of mixed white and black ancestry, especially one having one white and one black parent.

---

[Spanish mulato, small mule, person of mixed race, mulatto, from mulo, mule, from Old Spanish, from Latin mūlus.]

These words were created during slavery times and are still utilized widely in Brazil, Portugal, Spain and Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries. I grew up being called mulata or cabrita (this actually means small goat) without anyone batting an eyelid.

When a few years ago I asked a well known Afro-Latin dance company director why he was eating cookies called "negritos" so publicly, his reply was that he preferred them to the mulata biscuits.... This was a Portuguese based dance company that made its name globally on Afro-Latin dance styles. But, this is not a post about derogatory vocabulary on mixed race ancestry, however, it forms part of the subject in her book.

In her book she describes the objectification and dis-empowerment of the lives of mixed race women at the turn of the century in Cuba. I specially loved her mention the story of how so many of these women were hired to dance in dubious dance establishments in Havana merely on the strength of their complexion completely bypassing any talent or lack thereof.

The idea that the mulata embodied sensuality, beauty and sin was layered and posited her in a difficult position. However, the mulata and her sensual hip movement also utilized these gifts, outside perceptions and stereotypes to empower herself and navigate through society, in elites spaces and ultimately could steer her own path.

Observing how participants in this study emphasized and promoted “hip knowledge”  during the delivery of their classes motivated me to question further and understand the belief systems they carried forward.

Her book was a fresh take on the subject and has supported my understanding of yet another integrated stereotype in Afro-Latin dance cultures.

 BACK TO OUR BASIC VALUES...

The understanding of how Afro-Latin dance is perceived and how its practitioners have felt during the last 20 odd years delivering these forms in the UK is more complex than I initially imagined.

There are so many threads to the complexity of aesthetic appreciation and knowledge of one's own cultural background when it comes to Afro-Latin dance. What you may think is a clear and straight forward opinion may be charged with subconscious bias, media influence and other environmental pressures. Recognizing it is the first step towards an equal society we know, but how do we recognize it?... We are far more influenced on a daily basis from the media than we fully realize. Recognizing inequalities and making changes is a conscious effort that most are not conscious enough to realize we need to make, so, if you don't know that you don't know, you're not likely to change. 

It goes back to basics. What do we value?... What do Afro-Latin dance practitioners value individually or as a group?... How does their value system affect or interacts with the value systems of the spaces they inhabit?....

(photo by Tyrone Domingo)

Many personal perceptions are often stereotypes we've grown up accepting. Take Afro-Latin dance. Most people, when they think of these forms, think mostly of social dances: Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Kizomba...Prof. Raquel Monroe from Dance Center of Columbia USA also agrees. Why don't we think of Afro-Latin Dance in terms of concert dance or being experimental?...(Molzahn, 2021)

What I've encountered in my research, seems to go right back to identifying our basic values. How value systems change how we see ourselves and others and how the intersection of global cultures sharing the same spaces provide an opportunity to share our values or facilitate the dismantling of non-dominant cultures. OK, that was a little feeling of doom, but you get the gist. 

1) Molzahn, L., 2021. Globe-trotting with Dance Center's Afro-Latin@ events. [online] chicagotribune.com. Available at: <https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct--afro-latindad-dance-card-story.html> [Accessed 23 March 2021].

 ANALYSIS, IDEAS AND MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The journey of writing and analysing data can be a lonely and tricky one for a dancer. My thoughts tend to emerge when I'm moving or actually doing something so having to stay still, read, reflect and note things down it feels contradictory to my own nature of thinking and being. Nevertheless, this is the process and what I do is during my writing breaks I just get up, put a fun song on and do a lot of silly dances while waiting for my kettle to boil!

The last semester has been a particular difficult one as I had to defer in order to allow myself more time to process individual and personal trauma. Trauma is tricky isn't it?...it can paralyse you but it can also be an opportunity for growth. This aspect is timeless. Do we need trauma to grow?...oh the eternal question that religion and philosophers pose. 

Looking at my data I decided to use a phenomenological approach to explore the themes that have begun to emerge and resonate above the rest. My interpretation of the data collected is starting to be clearer to me and is allowing me to see the ideas, motivations and values carried through the practitioners I've interviewed. But... what is value?...What does value mean to the particular group of practitioners I've interviewed and spoken to?...

What may be the consequences of not valuing the knowledge of your own culture?... These questions were simple yet key in triggering further thought. Thanks to Angela Woodhouse for the quick but great tips given to me during a video meeting so I could catch up with MAPP!

 THE LONG, LONG ROAD TO THEORIZING MY IDEAS

OK. This is my gentle advice to any newbies attending an MA course: Never, never, ever take a break during the course!...

Well, I didn't take a break, a break was forced onto me with changing house and various COVID-19 related challenges. This meant however, that my "train of thought"was violently interrupted, but I must say that the reflection never stopped! So, after multiple challenges I am finally settled in my new home, have my study books with me (long story) and started reading my notes who kept multiplying and adding to the "ideas" bag. My mind is now on overdrive, and I'm pulling strings from articles, books and looking at new nuances and trying to figure out if they add value to my reflection on the title of my research.

The development of 2020's Covid health and social restrictions, consequent government policies and the response by society overall has brought in new questions on the value and meaning of the role of arts in society and subsequently the role of dance forms that bring communities together naturally. It also emphasizes the influence of peer pressure in society and how these responses have cultural ramifications and influence institutions that may choose to react instead of devising active responses that may engender a higher impact in the full term. 

The same crisis also reflects the hierarchy of the Arts in as much as some areas and performers have the social backing necessary to survive in times of crisis while those forms that prevail on the edges of the dance sector have to negotiate creative ways to keep afloat and more often than not, perish. This is not simply a "survival of the fittest" situation, but a clear choice previously structured within institutions in the dance sector. These thoughts are circling my writing regularly, and I must say that living through these times and experiencing it first-hand exposes me further to the ideas that I'm trying to weave together in my thesis and encourages my daily reflection and is adding many, many notes around my laptop!...