Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A video called Suits was shown in class today. New to this style of dance, I have never
really seen a dance with the Umfundalai technique. It was interesting to me because it had a story
and energy; I was easily drawn into it. The energy was high, so it made me want to dance and be
happy. After the video, we discussed our prior dance experiences. This was good to hear because
I was curious to know what background everyone else was from. I did not have a lot of dance
experience, and I do not have much self-confidence when I dance. I know that some people had
years of experience because their skills are quite visible when they move; however, I did not
know what they went through to get as far as they are today. It varied from this dance class being
their first dance class to some people auditioning for popular dance schools. With only two years
of true dance lessons - I do not count my childhood years I never felt confident enough to
audition for famous schools or anything to that extent. I know others are much more skilled than
I am, so I look up to them and hope that I can improve and not be embarrassed.
Quite a few new movements that I learned today felt awkward. Some felt awkward
because they were difficult for me to do. For example, the chaine turns feel impossible for me to
execute correctly. I am not made for turning, so I know I have a lot to work on. They feel
awkward because I know I am doing them wrong and not spotting well enough. Also, other girls
that have chaine turns embedded into their bodies make me feel like I cannot get to their level.
The crab walk we learned today was a different feeling to me because I felt like I was imitating a
crab definitely not the most attractive movement a dancer can perform. Other weird
movements to me are the bum drops and the left side. I am too much of an introvert to be moving
my bum in a comfortable manner, especially with people I hardly know. However, I get over it
because it is the choreography and everyone is doing it, too. Generally, the left side is not the
most comfortable because it is tricky to mirror everything. I have the feeling that I will mess it
The performance element, or the group movement study, impacts me both positively and
negatively. This is the first time I have ever had to choreograph, so it was stressful to me. I
usually just perform choreography, not create it. Also, we had to ask the drummer for a certain
rhythm and match our dance to that. I am used to recorded music where I can listen to it over and
over again. Luckily I was able to work in a group, but I am dreading the individual study. It is
fun to piece movements together and get practice with choreographing. I need the experience,
and I need to see what choreographers go through in order to create the piece they desire. I find it
more challenging in this dance class because of my lack of familiarity with the movements; it
might be easier to complete this kind of assignment for ballet, since I know some ways ballet
movements can connect. I feel awkward and wrong whenever I bring up an idea for the dance we
have to make; a couple of my classmates in my group already have experience with this. I do not
October 2, 2014
Umfundalai technique are much different than ballets terms; and, it is not just because they
originate in different areas. I remember ballet terms because they sound like the movement; and,
I find them easier to associate with their movements. The Umfundalai terms may sound like what
they do (i.e. you shuffle your feet in the Zulu shuffle), but others are simply African terms (i.e.
the Sankofa). Due to the fact that they are not words I am familiar with and can memorize easily,
it will take me a little longer to recognize them. We started the group movement study today
which asks us to incorporate certain movements in our dance. Even though there were only five
terms, I still needed the extra time to associate the terms with their movements. The Umfundalai
technique terminology list also has plenty of terms that we have not covered and terms that seem
like a simple description of a movement. Unlike ballet, not every move has a specific word or set
of words. For instance, the roll down with contractions is exactly what it seems like; there is
October 9, 2014
When my body can execute movements correctly to the point where I do not have to put
much thought into it, my heart and spirit feel happy and loose. I feel a sense of relief and joy
because I can actually perform the steps right. Some of the movements allow me to release any
muscle tension I have, causing me to feel loose and free. The step where you release all the way
to the floor and swoop your arms is an example of this. The Hongwe and the ring shout are other
examples; for some reason, my body loves these moves. I can really feel the power of the drums
when doing them, making it more enjoyable. I suppose in my heart it feels nice because it is fun
to do, but I have honestly not thought of my spirit in a sense other than my emotions. In that
case, it brings some happiness and relaxation. If I had more experience with Umfundalai, then I
am sure that I will feel much more passionate; if I had some kind of African cultural background,
Today, we performed our group movement studies. I was nervous and, of course, I
messed up on a part that I had no idea I was going to mess up on. I wish I could see what my
groups dance looked like to other people. After seeing the other groups, I hoped my groups was
on their level. I really liked one groups dance in particular because the movements were put
together so nicely, and it had a clear beginning, middle, and end. I do not know how they made
their choreography so professional-like. It makes me more nervous for this individual study. I do
not feel like I did my absolute best because I was concentrating on the movements more than
how I would express them. However, this is my first time with this kind of dance, so I will
always be able to improve. Also, I am more familiar with the certain dance rhythms like the
lamban and kuku. When I first heard them, it was hard to fit the choreography in because I am
used to counting; but, now, I have a feel for them and know to not count like I tried to before.
discussed the different kinds of instruments, time, the significance of certain rhythms, and the
difference between modern dance and African traditional dance. The instruments include the
jimbe, conga, bala, xylophone, kick bass drum, tom tom drum, and the say say. The jimbe has a
trunk, bowl, head, rope, and skin. Being a vegan, I do not like the skin on the instrument, but I
understand that it is a part of the culture. It also helped the sound of the drum; the hotter it was
outside, the tighter the skin was and was able to make a different sound. Freddie said that time is
universal, time describes emotion, and the downbeat for the music he played was on one. He also
described the lamban, kuku, basic 6/8, and manjani; there was a lot of information provided, but
the main point was that they were ceremonial or meaningful dances on life. Lastly, the
knowledge of rhythms, feeling, identities, and purity are much stronger in African traditions.
There were some new movements or expansion on old material learned in todays class.
The womens dance was highly enjoyable because of the way it was constructed. In two groups,
we switched places and then came back as one. It almost seemed like a competition between the
groups at first. The dance was sassy and even incorporated some moves that we have not done in
class for a little while like the masai jumps. It was a dance that was everywhere because of the
different levels and special patterns. The only trouble I had was the attitude turn because I have
not ever practiced it before. I know my attitude in general is not great, and adding a turn to it
made it worse. I admire Laura for her turns because they are so clean, and she can do multiple.
My dance skills are nothing compared to hers. I hope to be able to dance like her at some point in
The pumpkin dance we learned today felt particularly good. I enjoyed the way the arms
and legs were coordinated, and they were more graceful than what we usually learn. I was able to
associate it with a carving of a pumpkin; in a sense, I could tell a story with the dance. I liked the
way that my arms could sway and reach around me. Odd to say, but it was like I could mimic a
tree in the wind. I thought that adding the tendus would be more challenging for my body.
Instead, it felt like it was meant to be coordinated in that manner, and my body went along with
it fairly well. I had a similar feeling when I danced to Bob Marley. His songs make everyone
smile and feel free. Our dance to Dont Worry, Be Happy had a natural feel. We had a bird-
like movement that did not feel like it could be executed right or wrong, so it made me feel more
confident. It gave the class a different feel because of the recorded and more familiar music. I
could tell who was more of a ballet dancer when they were trying to be super graceful during a
relaxing combination.