CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study:

According to scholars, such as Walter Sorell, Onuora O. Enekwe etc, dance has

been in existence for ages, right from the Stone Age to date. Dance has existed

right from when man could not express himself verbally but through his body.

Dance is one of the oldest arts form, beyond its power to entertain it is a virile

means of communication. According to Nwamuo, dance is the expression and

transference through the medium of bodily movements, mental and emotional

experiences which an individual cannot express by rational or intellectual means. It

is a calculated movement, with measured steps or a celebration of organized

movement”. (3) “Dance is the rhythmic movement of the human body in time and

space to make a statement” (Wikipedia).

According to Ojo Rasaki the person who undertakes the responsibility of

structuring and arranging this movement is the choreographer.” The choreographer

is a creative thinker whose creative thought is expressed through body movement

called dance”. ( In addition, a choreographer is a creator who makes use of the

human body through movement to tell a story. God is a choreographer; he made

the world through movement, arrangement and structuring which is the act of a

choreographer.

Rasaki further states that;

The world choreography is derived from the Greek word "chorogoi", meaning the

art of designing movement. Choreography in this sense is the composition of

dance, the structuring and arrangement of movements, writing of dances script and

dance notion (1).

Choreography is a new word in the world of Art; it became prominent at the

beginning of the twentieth century, as a qualifying word for the art and science of

creating and structuring movements of the human body in space and time to

communicate ideas. While the term is new, the act of dancing and art choreography

are as old as man and his society. The greatest tool of dance is the human body, but

this does not mean that every body movement can be called dance. For a body

movement to qualify as dance it must have the elements of dance: rhythm, time,

space and it must be able to communicate an idea or a group of ideas.

The focus of this study is on how dance choreograpby can be used as a form of

activism against bad governance. As a form of activism, dance has the power to

bring change to important issues in our society. In recent decades, the art of dance

has evolved to also be used as a form of activism towards bad governance,

Identifying and prioritizing the effects in the society such as: Police Brutality,

Gender Inequality, Religious rivalry and Insecurity.This plea will be made through

a dance performance titled “Falling Nation”, a short story written by Kingsley

Chibuike.

What makes an effective form of activism? The process of creating an efficient

campaign is that it first must be able to attract attention, spread knowledge and

then make audiences interested in creating change.

1.2 Purpose of study:

The purpose of this study is mainly on Political and social citicism using

movements to draw attention to both particular and wider issues in the society, to
revolt against a bad government in mass population, for sudden change of politcal

organiztion, typically due to their political incompetence.

1.3 Statement of the Problem:

Even though people start to become more tolerant towards alternative ideas and

activism, many people still consider activism to be kind of dodgy, especially in

conservative regions of our planet.

Although activism implies several important benefits, it can also lead to serious

problems.One issue with activism is that it is not always peaceful,While the

majority of activists want to protest in a peaceful manner, a small fraction of this

movement may engage in unlawful actions. Even though the intent behind

activism may be good, there are also people who want to use activism for their

purposes. For instance, many radical movements try to recruit new members

through public events. However, this rise of radical movements should not be

supported at all. Activism should not be misused for radical political movements

and whenever you see those radical groups engage in activism, you should

definitely stay away from them.

Thus, if activism is not done in a peaceful manner, it will not fulfill its initial

purpose and should not be tolerated and supported by the local population. If you

are an activist and do not behave in line with the local laws, chances are that you

will end up in prison sooner or later.

Therefore, when you decide that you want to be an activist, make sure to

demonstrate and raise awareness in a legal manner so that you do not interfere with

any laws in order to avoid trouble of many different sorts.In some countries,
activists even have to fear physical punishment by the police. Some regimes do not

care about the free will of the local population at all and take measures of several

sorts to sustain their power, even if this includes physical harm for the general

public. Thus, in some countries, activists may have a quite hard time to fight for

their rights and may have to pay a high price if they act according to their own

value system.

1.4 Scope of the Study:

The scope of this study is limited to making the public see dance as an effective

form of political activism because performances provoke an emotional response.

Through activism, one is able to motivate, raise money, and spread knowledge and

also raise funds for charitable organization, which creates positive change

worldwide.

1.5 Justification of the Study:

The study showcases the Importance of activism against bad governance.Falling

Nation is thus used to interpret social and politocal issues through dance. The

choreographer explains how dance is an effective form of communication. The

study goes into detail of the power that movement has towards acts of

communication.

A choreographer and dancer Jon Boogz quotes , “sometimes if I have an opinion

on something, people may not want to hear it. But when you tell it through music,

movement and expression, I just think it creates an entry point aesthetically that

allows people to digest the topic that normally wouldn’t be too easy to talk

about”.This evidence shows how through the movement and expression that dance
exhibits, dance has the ability to provoke emotion. It shows how the emotion

within the act of dance creates an effective response, displaying it is a powerful

form of activism.

1.6 Aim and Objectives of the Study:

The aim of this study is to use dance to pass information and advice Inorder to

bring awareness to political issues around the world, the art of dancing effectively

communicates the presence of such issues with a means of creating change. It is

our job as people who live on this planet to contribute in providing a change for

future generations. Dance has the ability to help in the role of the positive

evolution of such issues. We can use dance to create change. Whether it’s a big

change or a small change, it really doesn’t matter.

Objectives of this Study include:

1. To point out the flaws in the social, political and cultural fabric in the society,

2. To help the public confront the unpleasant reality and see the world as it is, so

that we can improve it,

3. To criticize and expose flaws in human nature and behaviour.

4. To help minorities to get a better standing in society and therefore also better

chances in all parts of their daily life.

1.7 Significance of the study:

The significance of this study is that it provides additional power to the citizens to

further engage in activism and to raise awareness of our environmental problems.

Thus, while we are rather weak as single persons, we can be strong in groups since

we can support each other. Therefore, in order to withstand the problems that can

come along with engaging in activism, a strong connection to other activists may

help to overcome potential insecurities. In order to bring awareness to political

issues around the world, the art of dancing effectively communicates the presence

of such issues with a means of creating change. By provoking emotional responses

and raising money for charitable organizations that are affiliated with political

problems, dance has the ability to create a large impact on such issues throughout

the world.

1.8 Research Methodology:

Research methods are the devices employed to carryout research and gather

information which are used to build up an essay. This work shall amass

information through books, articles, internets sources, interviews, and personal

observations and the modern language Association (MLA) shall be used to

document this research.

1.9 Definition of Terms:

To facilitate a better understanding and easy comprehension of this study, we

provide here definition of technical terms used in the body of this work

Dance:

Dance as defined in the English dictionary, is a sequence of rhythmic steps or

movements usually performed to music, for pleasure or as a form of social

interaction or to move with rhythmic steps or movements, especially in time to

music. Dance is a performing art form consisting of purposefully selected

sequences of human movement. These movements have aesthetic and symbolic

value, and are acknowledged as dance by performers and observers within a

particular culture (Wikipedia).

Dance is a means of expression, in the process of expressing it communicates, in

the process of communicating it educate, by passing a message. This is to say that

dancing is not the movement of the body alone, but the movement of the body to

pass a message (communicate), and not just a message, but a message that can

educate.

Choreography;

According to Oxford advance learner’s dictionary; choreography is the art of

creating, arranging and recording the dance movements of a ballet etc or the

representation of these movements by a series of symbols, the notation used to

construct this record. The act of Choreography can be applied to every aspect of

art, because choreography deals with the Structuring of movement and one cannot

make any act like drama, music, set, etc work without the aid of structuring and

movement. Ojo Rasaki; states that, “choreography is the structuring of movement

in time and space to make a statement”. (1) Choreography is the art or practice of

designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in

which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the

design itself (Wikipedia).

Activist:

According to Oxford Languages, an activist is a person who campaigns to bring

about political or social change.The Cambridge dictionary, describes an activist as

someone who believes strongly in political or social change and takes part in

activities such as public protests to try to make this happen.

Activists might best be described as hyper-aware people; they are sensitised to the

suffering that takes place around the planet and often work very long hours under

pressure on campaigns and actions to bring about positive change.

Activism:

According to the free Collins Dictionary, Activism is the process of campaigning

in public or working for an organization in order to bring about political or social

change. A doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in

support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATUER REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

Dance has been defined as the expression and transference through the medium of

bodily movement, of mental and emotional experiences which an individual cannot

express by rational or intellectual means (Nwamuo, 1993, 3).

The complexities of the dance profession are such that one must consider many

variables before embarking on this long but rewarding path towards a career in

dance. Whatever career or dance form you choose to do, all dance require years of

training and dedication. Chris Ugolo, in his book entitles Introduction to Dance

Choreography talk on the need to train the dancer; “the basic instrument of the

dancer is his or her body. It is the instrument of performance and communication

with the audience” (42) In light of the above, Dance is not an option people choose

because they feel they cannot do anything else. Dancers have to be quick and

intelligent with good communication skills, it is a professional course that demands

some amount of technicalities. Qualifications in academic studies and theoretical

knowledge will widen your career choice.

2.1 Literature Review

This chapter examines different views of what dance and choreography is to

different scholars, a review of dance and choreography with a keen concentration

on a child’s career choice interference and the effect on the child.

Conceptual Framework

⦁ Concept of dance

⦁ Concept of choreography

⦁ concept of dancer and choreographer

⦁ Concept of career

⦁ Concept of career choice

⦁ Concept of interference and conflict

Theoretical framework

Chris Ugolo’s Introduction to Dance and Choreography

⦁ Bakare Ojo Rasaki’s Rudiments of Choreography

⦁ Enekwe Onuora’ Theories of Dance in Nigeria

⦁ Donald Super career choice development theory, etc.

2.2.1 Concept of Dance

Dance as an art form and mode of expressive communication has since the

emergence and development of modern theatre become a viable field of the

performing arts that the individual or group of persons under a registered company

engages in as a career and source of livelihood. Dance practice, therefore, simply

refers to regular dance performance activities as a theatre form to represent and

portray issues of life by means of relying on the application of series of purposeful

and symbolic movement of the body set to a given arrangement of functional

music (Adeiza Bello, 548)

The professional field of dance practice is primarily composed of two major

complementary fields of specialization; namely dance and choreography. Bakare

Ojo Rasaki being a dance academic and practitioner, a librettist, choreographer and

dancer, in his book, Rudiments of Choreography, view the role of the

choreographer as an encompassing art of creation. He likened the choreographer to

a creator who sourced his creative materials from his imagination to communicate

a particular motive via dance. Conceiving an idea for dance can be likened to the

process of conceiving a baby. The conception and birth of a baby is the

manifestation of love between two people a male and a female. Two people who

love themselves must come together to express love through the process of

lovemaking which in an ideal situation results in the conception of a baby by the

woman.
Giving birth to a baby after a period of nine months is usually a painfully process,

just like translating the idea into movement in dance which is the art of

choreography (Ugolo, 17).

The bone of contention from the above is love, just as a baby comes to life through

sexual relationship so does dance through the love the choreographer have for an

idea. This motivates him to create a dance. According to Ugolo, every dance, be it

traditional or modern is about something. Dance must be based on an idea or

concept; this is what motivates the movement as a vehicle and messages of

expression. Dance can be stimulated by what we see, feel or hear. Thus we have

the following as stimuli to dance;

⦁ PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

⦁ FEELING/ EMOTION

⦁ THOUGHT

⦁ MENTAL/VISUAL IMAGERIES

⦁ MOVEMENT

⦁ SOUND/MUSIC

Personal Experience

Experience constitutes one of the major sources of themes and subject matter for

dance. When you experience a situation the whole being partakes in it. In this way

you have a total picture of the event and so you are in position to be able to express

it in terms of dance.
Feeling/Emotion

It has been establish that one of the reasons why early man danced was to express

his feelings and emotions. Thus the origin of dance can be traced to the expression

of his pent-up or bottled feelings/emotions.

Thought

Thought motivate movements that can be expressed in dance form. Thought

should align with your general disposition and way of life. That is, it should be

dare to your heart. Something you love. This will make for easy treatment.

Mental/Visual Imageries

Pictures whether mental or physical can have a striking impression on the mind.

Mental pictures are generated in our imagination. Sometimes our imagination may

run wild and we receive a very clear mental image that normally cannot be seen

physically. They are at times imageries that cannot be described, but because some

sensational feelings in us. This sort of feeling can form the basis for movement

generation in dance.

Movement

One of the origins of dance is the fact that man needed to find outlet for the release

of the surplus energy that he is endowed with. Dance, developed for the sake of

movement's sake usually takes into cognizance the basic elements of dance. These

are element of space, time, weight/energy and design. Dance generally makes use

of these elements.

Music/Sound

Music is one of the earliest motivations for dance creation. Dance based on music

usually emphasize the rhythmic structure/beats of the music. The values of music
that can be found in dance such as time, direction, stress could form the basis for

dance creation and improvisation.

Merce Cunningham is one of the exponents of dance that exist on its own. His

dance productions have been created independent of the effect of music. His

dancers "hear" the music for the first time during the performance. Cunningham's

dance is choreographed based on the principle of "chance". That is, any

relationship that is detected between the music and dance coincidental.

Music thus can be danced to or can just provide the atmosphere for the dance to

exist, coating it by defining the style and form (Cunningham qtd in Ugolo, 9).

2.2.2 Concept of Choreography

As opine by Adeiza,; the art of choreography is the creative process of designing

and patterning of dance movements to communicate certain ideas and to create

aesthetic appeal. Rasaki affirms that "choreography is the structuring of

movements in time and space to make statement". In like manner, Ugolo also

asserts that the art of choreography involves" the composition of dances, the

structuring and arrangement of movements, writing of dance scripts and dance

notation ".

Ajibade Debo view choreography as the art of transforming emotions into images

with logical arrangement of gestures. He concludes that choreography deals with

the “ability to create and arrange dance movements by the power of one's

imagination prowess, sensitive by nature to visual impressions cum environmental

observation, emotional feelings using series of rhythmic body gestures as the

vehicle of its carriage to form images.

The essence of choreography is to create visual aesthetic appeal with the

arrangement of the dancers whose calculated movements portrays chains of

motives in a sequence to make a complete non verbal statement. Therefore, every

given choreographic process starts by conceiving or imagining an idea which is

further developed into a picture. The pictured imagination is then actualized by

representing the ideas with the employment of dance composed of series of

rhythmic gestures, mime and pantomime (Adeiza Bello, 550)

To Ojo Rasaki; choreographic appeal depends on the setting of every given dance

by his classification of two major types of choreography namely;

⦁ Residual

⦁ Emergent

Residual choreography being traditional and communal oriented is restrictive while

emergent choreography being modern and individualistic advocates and allows for

freedom of expression. This is the case all over the world. Every culture world

over had its own traditional dance form out of which the modern dance or

emergent choreography has evolved (1).

Andrew Hewitt demonstrates how choreography has served not only as

metaphor for modernity but also as a structuring blueprint for thinking about and

shaping modern social organization. Bringing dance history and critical theory

together, he shows that ideology needs to be understood as something embodied

and practiced, not just as an abstract form of consciousness.

2.2.3 Concept of Dancer and Choreographer

Peter Adeiza, states that;

Dance is an expressive non-verbal communication that can be identified in the day

to day lifestyle of humans and even animals. Dance is usually associated with

rhythm or music and it can either be exhibited to express excitement, to entertain

and to meet socio-cultural and religious obligation (:552).

A dancer is a performer who communicates through the calculated or motive

oriented manipulation of his body gestures set to a given rhythm without verbal

utterances.

Furthermore;

A dancer is like a vehicle that helps to transform imaginations and ideas into

meaningful pattern of human body. Dancers are the live wires of a choreographer's

creative efforts because the absence of dancer means that choreographer will not

be able to actualize his imagination in pictorial movements (552).

The dancer is simply a performing artist whose job is to represent an idea or

feelings by the rhythmic manipulation of his body. He is the equivalent of the actor

and his major instrument of expression is his body, imaginative power, and sense

of rhythm, experience and a repertoire of variety of movements. While the

choreographer is a creative personality in the theatre most especially in the field of

dance art. The choreographer is the equivalent of a play director who may also

wear the shoes of a playwright. He is a creative artist vested with the responsibility

of designing anything that involve movement dance, light, set, acting, music etc,

and interpreting a given libretto by harnessing human and material resources in

performance.
In the Same vein, Ugolo is of the opinion that;

The choreographer is one who is not only a master dancer but should have an in-

depth knowledge of the human body and personality. He is a designer, organizer of

human resources, director and musician. He is a person who is able to translate

ideas and emotional impulses into visual symbols and form (: x).

Contrary to Ugolo, Ojo Rasaki states that;

Though, the choreographer may not be a fantastic dancer himself, he still needs to

be above waters in the art of dancing because if he is a dancer himself. It makes his

job easier (:1).

That is, a choreographer will be perfect at his job if he is equally a dancer, though

this may be debatable in other climes. He further state that the choreographer

create while the dancer interprets what the choreographer creates, though the

dancer himself needs some level of creativity to be able to interpret effectively.

Whatever the playwright can express through written words, whatever imagination

the painter can express through his strokes, the dancer can express through the

rhythmic movement of the body. Whatever the mind of the choreographer is

capable of conceiving, he can actualize in dancing, but his ability to effectively

communicate these thoughts without confusing his audience depends on his

experience and dexterity (:3)

Dance as an art has received less attention in the society unlike other forms of art

that are held in high esteem. According to Enekwe;

Although dance is of the most dynamic and popular art form in Nigeria, it has

received very scant attention, much of which is by Europeans while few Europeans

have observed and describe Nigerian dances without understanding and

objectivity. Several tend to consider them as inadequate expression of primitive

people (:7).

2.3 Concept of Career

Career choice has become a complex science with the advent of information

technology, the emergence of post industrial revolution and job competition. It was

a common practice in the old days to find feudalism converting it into a family

affair where the son of a blacksmith was destined to become a blacksmith and a

feudal was born a leader. Industrialization and post industrialization has made it

possible for a common person to be richer as long as she or he has due skills and

knowledge. Today, one has not only to make due career planning but also

exhaustive career research before making a career choice so as to adjust with the

evolving socio-economic conditions (Wattles qtd in Kochung & Migunde, 81).

According Wikipedia;

Career is the progress and actions taken by a person throughout a lifetime,

especially those related to that person's occupations. A career is often composed of

the jobs held, titles earned and work accomplished over a long period of time,

rather than just referring to one position.

Career can be conceptualized more broadly in terms of individual

development in learning and work throughout life and this includes voluntary work
and other life experiences (Watt, as cited in Torrington, Hall & Taylor, (:9 ).

Popoola refers to career as a job or profession for which one undergoes regulated

education and training over a period of time and which one intends to follow for

the whole of one’s life. It is thus a chosen pursuit, life work and success in one’s

profession.

A career is now broadly defined as the unfolding sequence of a person’s work

experience over time, or in more detail as` the sequence of employment related

positions, roles, activities and experiences encountered by a person (Amoid. 1)

According to Dawn, career is an individual vocation or trade or how he or she

makes a living. Examples of careers or occupations are engineers, accountants,

painters, directors, Actors, dancers etc. The following definitions are also very

important to the understanding of career as a concept and they might be used

interchangeably in the course of this study.

Terminologies associated with career choice include; vocation, profession, job,

work, occupation, trade, career development, career planning, career guidance,

career education, career decision etc. Gettings defines vocation as;

an occupation that someone feels strongly about doing, despite monetary gain or

other influences, therefore everyone’s vacation should be what they feel compelled

to do because it gives a deeper meaning to life as well as added meaning within us,

for example, someone may currently have a career in finance while his or her

vocations remains teaching and going on various adventure indicating that a

person’s true vocation will characterize how he or she operate in general

(Wikipedia).
Catalano define a profession as;

A type of occupation that needs certain criteria that raise it to a level above that of

an occupation. It is a vocation requiring intensive education in science or the

liberal arts and often specialized training (Costella et al, 1).

Whereas Ifelunni, qtd in Omeje defines a profession as;

an assembly of members engaged in the same work setting with a body of

knowledge that have been acquired over rigorous long period of training and are

governed by ethical standards of behavior and whose interests surpass mere

personal gain to personal commitment to assist humanity. (:7)

Profession is therefore, a body of persons or person engaged in an

occupation or calling. This implies that profession is a specific work or discipline

in which one is both theoretically and practically trained. According to Achebe, qtd

in Omeje, a job therefore means a related or similar position in a single educational

institution, organization or business establishment (.10)

In summary, a job can be referred to as anything an individual does

intrinsically and extrinsically to earn a reward. Work is to exert effort in order to

make something to achieve something, to produce a desired effect. Fromm “refers

to work as an effective means to deal with the angst of death and void. Therefore,

working is a meaningful way to improve one’s existence and hopefully, that it is

worth to be lived.”

Canadian Association of Occupational Theory Therapists states that occupation is

everything people do to occupy themselves including looking after themselves

(Self-care), enjoying life (Leisure) and contributing to the social and economic

fabric of their communities (Productivity). These include the need /opportunity to

keep busy, have something to wake up for, explore new opportunities, envision

future time engage in valued activities and contribute to others (Hammell, 20).

Carmel, claimed that “it is the perceived meaning fullness of life that mainly

affects people‘s will to live”. Hence engagement in personally meaningful

occupations contributes not solely to perceptions of competence, capacity and

value but to the quality of life itself. According to Seignobos, trade is a business

which a person has learned and which he engages in, for procuring subsistence or

for profit, occupation, especially mechanical employment as distinguished from the

liberal arts, the learned professions and agriculture, as we speak of the trade of a

smith, of a carpenter or mason but not now of the trade of a farmer, or a lawyer or

a physician.

According to Bezanson in the; British journal of Guidance and counseling

has defined career development as the lifelong process of managing learning and

work in order to live and work with purpose and create a quality life (42).

Cambridge dictionary defined career development as the process of learning and

improving your skills so that you can perform your job better.

Career planning is a continuous process of discovery in which an individual slow

develops his own occupational concepts as a result of skills or abilities, needs,

motivations and aspirations of his own value system (Manolescu,;14).

Neveanu, opined in his Planning and Career Management…; that career planning

must link individual needs and aspirations with organizational needs and

opportunities, evaluating, advising and informing its client/staff on career

planning, in individual development efforts with training and development

programmers (4).
 As stated in A Dissertation Regarding the Managerial…, individual career

planning can be defined as all actions of self-assessment, exploration of

opportunities, establishing goals etc, designed to help the individual to make

informed choices and changes about career. It is a complex action that requires

systematic and careful thinking in formulating short and long term objectives.

Career planning is based therefore on the evaluation of individual skills, interest s

and motivation, on the analysis of organizational opportunities, setting goals for

their careers and develops a strategy to achieve those goals (Zlate, 377).

Career guidance is services and activities intended to assist individuals of any age

and at any point throughout their lives to make educational training and

occupational choices and to manage their careers. Career guidance is often thought

to incorporate career information, career education and career counseling (Zlate,

14).

It should aim to help people not just to enter work but also to remain in

employment and ultimately to move on to a better job. Therefore good career

guidance has the potential to raise aspirations and broaden horizons and can help

people to develop self awareness and resilience to source, and evaluate information

and make sound decisions about learning and work.

Career decision is the act of a person in choosing or selecting one of the two or

more alternatives of career available at a given time. Career decision is one of the

major decisions which are inevitable in life. Everybody makes decisions, for

instance, child take decisions on what to study, where to study, what type of work

or job to do in life etc. Decisions are generally made to achieve set goals. If one

makes decision, one should be ready for its outcome and vice versa. It is therefore

important to be aware of the context in which decision making occur. Career

decision making is not simply matching a person to an occupation, rather there are

many influences that impact on a person’s career decisions.

2.3.1 CONCEPT OF CAREER CHOICE

When experts talk about career choice, they are usually referring to someone

deciding what he/she wants to do to make a living. A career choice is the process

of determining a field of learning that requires certain knowledge and skills,

acquired through a specific educational program which results in a certificate or

degree attesting to your accomplishment (Powers, 2013).

Since the average person works 45 to 50 years in his or her lifetime, finding

a satisfying career and not just a job is important. Career choice has therefore

become a complex task today as one has not only to make the career planning but

also to do an exhaustive career research before making career choice so as to adjust

with the evolving social- economic condition. However most students who are in

secondary schools doing not have accurate information about occupational

opportunities to help them make appropriate career choices. According to Kerka in

his Career Development…; career choice is influenced by multiple factors

including personality, interest, self-concept, cultural identity, globalization,

socialization, role model, social support and available resources such as

information and financial.

Each individual undertaking the process is influenced by several factors

including the context in which they live in, their personal aptitudes, social contacts

and educational attainment. The factors determining career choice have been

examined several times in the career management literature According to

Agarwala’s in Factors influencing career choice…; state numbers of career option

available to a certain individual depend upon individual and external factors.

Individual factors consist of education, family background, attitudes etc while

external factors include labor market, state of the economy etc. He suggests that

individuals who are involving with effective career management practice should

first undertake self exploration followed by environmental exploration. In self

exploration, individuals are seeking for information about a variety of personal

qualities and attitudes pertaining to career decision making.

Basically, these attributes include values, interests, personality, talents and

abilities, lifestyle, preferences, weaknesses or shortcomings. They dispute that

occupations, job organization and families are key elements that should be

considered in environmental exploration. Agarwala argued that the role of

relationships in making career choice has been overlooked and further suggests

that it is vital to explore the type of relationships that matter and why those

relationships are significant in the career decision making process. According to

him, the key individuals that could influence in career decision making are father,

mother, sisters, brothers, friends and relatives. To him this is the greatest influence

of making career choice of both male and female students

Eddy, Ronald, and Lisa in there, Career Choice in management…; classified the

factors that determines the students’ career choice in to four categories as own

education, career benefits, chance and free choice. In conclusion, family surpasses

every other factor because the traditional base for selection of an occupation is the

family.

Parental Factors and Career Choice

 Many studies have stressed the importance of parental influences on their

children’s career development. Although much work has studied parental support

such as the impact of parents on a their career behavior, this has usually been from

a positive perspective but there is also the need to shed light through the findings

of this study, those negative parental influences which engender conflict.

Based on this, the researcher review studies related to the one under investigation.

In the Early Predictor of Career Development…; by Ferreira, Santos, Fonsera, and

Haase, established that parental influence is one of the multiple developmental

contexts that have a bearing on the vocational behavior of adolescents. Otto

claimed that indeed parents serve as major influences in the lives of their children.

He observed that of the factors that influence career choice processes, the family

members particularly the parents are the most influential determinants career plans,

occupational aspirations and occupational expectations.

Parents’ socio economic status variables usually interact with their proximal

variables (parental support and barriers) to influence the development of their

children’s career interests, the selection of their career goals and their career

behaviors. Also Eccles suggests that parental education variables have an impact

on the beliefs and behaviors of the parents indirectly leading to positive career

outcomes for the young people concerned. Therefore, Ali et al, in their research

confirm that the absence of parental support can be viewed as a hindering factor

from parents, forming parental barriers to particular career choices. `

Conversely, an increase of support from parents might decrease students’

perceptions or barriers. In appraising this review, it is vividly clear that whatever

affects and influences a person’s career choice or decision is most likely to

generate conflict. In south Nigeria, Bayelsa in particular, some parents try to

impose their desires and inhibitions on their children as regards their studies and

professions. Some young people are forced to study science course that is

considered to advance social and financial development, such as medicine,

engineering, and law or a family business.

Nowadays though, such pressure might bring about completely opposite results

from those expected. Young people challenge the older generations and

particularly parents who are overprotective. It is for this reason that attempt is

made in this study to identify the determinants of parent’s interference and conflict

in areas of occupational aspirations in the career choice of children.

2.3.2 Concept of Conflict and Interference

Interference is the act of something that obstructs or hinders. When someone is

being interfered, the only way out without subjecting to the desire of the interferer

is to go in to conflict, which will now bring us to the concept of conflict. Conflict

is defined as involving struggles between two or more people over values or

competition for status, power and scarce resource with the aim of neutralizing,

injuring or eliminating rivals.

Coser, as cited in Davis, Education and Conflict: Complexity and Chaos; explains

that conflict is an intrinsic and inevitable part of human existence. It arises from

the pursuit of divergent interests, goals and aspirations of individuals or groups in

defined social and physical environment. Conflict exists when people want to carry

out acts which are incompatible. Furthermore conflict is a serious disagreement

and argument about something important and also as a serious difference between

two or more beliefs, values, ideas, or interest.

According to Rapheal in Embedded Parenting? The Influence of conjugal…;

states, in many families, the choice of a career is often a phrase marked by

conflicts. He observed that apart from inner conflict due to abundance of choices,

conflict arises between the individual and his parents when the parents try to fulfill

the unmet dream of their past life through their children. Rapheal claimed that

choice of career leads to familial conflicts due to difference of interests in what the

parents and the adolescent cherishes. If the interest of the parent and the child does

not share a common space, conflict might lead to far-reaching consequences in

their emotional ties.

He further stated that often times, the contributory factor to the conflict may be the

tendency of parents to gravitate towards career choices that provide more social

status and monetary benefits while the students may be firm in his attitude and

passion for a particular career irrespective of the discouraging fact that it is not

lucrative and not many people dare choose it.

Theoretical Framework

Career choice theory provides roadmaps for interpreting career choice process.

Reviewed below is one of the most frequently cited career development choice

theory.

Donald Super’s Theory of Career Choice (1954)

Donald Super is a developmental theorist. Donald Super is one of the best known

theorists who wrote extensively on vocational development. In developing this

theory in 1954, he was influenced by self concept theory and Chacorlotte

Buchelers’s writings on developmental psychology.

The basic principle of this theory is that career choice and development is

essentially a process of developing and implementing a person’s self-concept. In

other words, this theory emphasized the role self concept plays. According to him,

self concept is a product of complex interactions among a number of factors

including physical and mental growth, personal experiences and environmental

characteristics and stimulation.

Super recognized that the self-concept changes and develops throughout people’s

lives as a result of experience. According to Super, self Concept formation

depends on the ability of the individual to recognize himself as a distinctive

individual and at the same time to be aware of the similarities between himself and

others. Hence he identified knowledge of oneself as crucial in making adequate

and wise decision. Consequently, as the individual matures, he tests himself in

many ways most of which have implications for educational and vocational

decisions.

As the individual goes through the entire process of vocational choice making him

successfully refines his self- concept over time and application to the world of

work crates adaptation in his career choice. Supper proposed a life stage

developmental framework with the following stages, growth, exploration,

establishment, maintenance or management and disengagement. In each stage, one

has to successfully manage the vocational developmental tasks that are socially

expected of persons in the given chronological age range for example, in the stage

of exploration, (ages 15-24), an adolescent has to cope with the vocational

development tasks of crystallization (a cognitive process involving an

understanding of one’s interest, skills, values and to pursue career goals consistent

with understanding, specification (making tentative and specific career and choice

career choice), implementation (taking steps to actualize career choice through

engaging in training and job positions).

Finally, Supper’s theory clearly emphasized that life at any moment is an aggregate

roles that one is assuming such as child, student, leisurite, citizen, worker, parent
or home maker and the roles changes as one progresses through life stages. Hence

role conflicts role, interference and role confusions would likely happen when

individuals are constrained in their ability to cope with the demands associated

with their multiple roles.

`In relating this theory to the study, it is without doubt that Donald super’s

career development theory provided a foundation for professional work force,

however it is important to stress that the developmental stages an individual goes

through in making a vocational choice according to this theory, when interfered

can bring about conflict. For instance, if there is interference in the choice of career

especially from the parents at any of the stages, it might become more difficult for

the young person to make his or her choice and while insisting on his or her own, it

may result to conflict. This creates differences between his or her career goals from

his or her parent’s goals. This might result to making unsatisfactory choices and

ending up with the wrong career choices.

CHAPTER THREE: HISTORY AND TYPES OF DANCE

3.1 Historical Origins of Dance and Choreography

According to Curt Sachs, in his World History of Dance by; the origins of dance

can be traced along two streams since the origins of an art that is dedicated to the

Gods must have originated from the divinities themselves. Historically the origins

can be traced from the extant sculptures, paintings, literature, inscriptions and

foreign accounts of the country as the major forms of sources. Dance has existed
ever since mankind has come into existence. The evolution of the art is however,

hidden in the roots of the various civilizations and diverse art forms that are

complimentary to the art of dancing. “Whosoever danceth not, knoweth not the

way of life.”

Dance is the mother of all arts. Dance as we know is a composite art that

involves the study, and essence of music, poetry, sculpture, drama and architecture

in its execution (1).

Dance is therefore a beautiful representation of life around us as an offering to the

Lord, through the medium of our body which recreates all the imagination and real

incidents of life as desired to represent by the dancer. It is an art of the greatest

order of sophistication for; the body, which attains a state of ecstasy, is forgotten

entirely and at most of the times it remains as a mere receiver of the super human

powers that it achieves through the art of dancing (Sachs, 2)

This explain that the dancer attains magical powers through his desire to dance

and this in turn brings him victory, health, life and an indescribably great bonding

with the tribe that he is associated with. The state of exhilaration achieved by the

performer leads him into the world of the spirits, the Gods and the demons. It thus

carries him away from the world the everyday bridging the earthly world with that

of the world of spirits and the super natural.

Thus Sachs claims that dance becomes a sacrificial rite, a charm, a prayer and

a prophetic vision Dance can therefore, be viewed as a remedy to aid the ailing, a

lucky charm, a link between the dead and generations of their descendants, a

means that spells victory in a battle, a creator in its own right and a preserver of the

tribe or the community. Hence dance has been more or less an activity that has

been both an indispensable and perhaps inseparable part of man’s life. “As such
dance is the earliest outlet for emotion and the cradle for all arts.”(2) In the light

above, man danced for all occasions at birth, initiation ceremonies of the young

maidens or those of the young boys, sickness, marriage, death, planting,

harvesting, hunting, at war, after a hunt, feasts, the celebrations of the village

headman’s coronation, funeral ceremonies and the likes.

Dance can be defined as mere rhythmical movement of the limbs of the body and

certainly not the movements of the work itself since the art of dancing would be

the recreation of the things seen, heard or both (Sachs,3).

Furthermore civilized people express their emotions through well regulated

Actions, while primitive people developed the art of expression through well

regulated Movements of their bodies. He stressed that dance has perhaps come to

mankind from a great number of sources numbering in thousands and must have

been practiced variedly at a great number of civilizations the world over for

probably the same occasions, with movements of expression being almost the

same, like, expanded movements for joyous incidents and close body movements

to express the fearful or sad situations (4).

Judging from the statement above, it can also be concluded that nature and

animals were Mas's first teachers for the movements of dance, since the

movements of the primates were imitated by early man, the moves of a hunt were

enacted, when it was a celebration after a hunt.

These however are suggestive of the fact that primitive man danced. The people

must have invariably imitated the moves of the various species of birds and

animals for their music and dance movements. It can be noticed that initially, their

dwellings were also seen to be circular as much as their important motif in dancing
which was also circular. This indicates that man must have incorporated the shape

of the sun and the moon in their everyday life (Sachs, 5)

According to Curt Sachs, there are also evidences that point at the formation

of the concentric circles while dancing with either a man in the centre encircled by

women or a girl in the centre encircled by men which is still in vogue in some of

the tribal and folk dances that are performed even to this day. The later ages stand

testimony to the fact that man donned the mask of the animal around which he

danced after a hunt, and imitated the moves of the animal as observed by him

during the hunt(5).

As stated above, the researcher observed that there are dances that were

danced to ward off a sick individual his sickness where the whole group of people

would take unto them the spirit causing the sickness by dancing to a state of

exhilaration around the sick individual. Interesting to note are the instances where

the elderly people of the tribe encircle a new bride to convey the thought that the

bride is being accepted into the tribe or is being made a part of the tribe henceforth.

Curt Sachs, states that, tribal cultures dance around the head of an enemy, the

sacrificial animal, like a buffalo, the holy waters, the sanctified altars in order that

the power of these objects get transferred to them, which is a strange but true fact.

This leads to the thought that the folk and tribal forms of dance that have an object

placed in the centre even to this day must have been inspired and influenced by

these practices of the most primitive tribal cultures the world over.

Having transported himself into a world of ecstasy while dancing, man tried to

become one with the supernatural consequently offering his whole self or by

offering anything like a sacrificial animal, material possessions and the like, that he
thought was dearest to the Supreme. This must have been the embryonic stage of

relating dance with a ritual, or a ceremony which developed to such an extent that

dance and ritual have been thought of to be the two faces of the same coin. The

custom of choosing a bride in the cultures of the people of Hawaii, Europe and

Germany are directly associated with the art of dancing although these are regions

that are spaced miles apart and have different cultural backgrounds from which

they have basically originated.

No performance should beginning without fulfilling the Office of the Stage ranga-

pujah), and that those who neglect this ritual will be ruined (Spencer, 6).

This has been rightly adapted and justified over the centuries for, every dance

form practiced in India from time immemorial has been associated with a ritual at

least to the extent of a simple material offering or the offering of the whole-self to

the Supreme by means of dancing. The development of dance as a ritual can be

traced historically from the existing visual sources.

3.1.1 Modern Dance History

Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance, primarily

arising out of Germany and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th

centuries. Modern dance is often considered to have emerged as a rejection of, or

rebellion against classical ballet. Socioeconomic and cultural factors also

contributed to its development. In the late 19th century, dance artists such as

Isadora Duncan, Maud Allan, and Loie Fuller were pioneering new forms and

practices in what is now called aesthetic or free dance for performance.

These dancers disregarded ballet's strict movement vocabulary, the particular,

limited set of movements that were considered proper to ballet, and stopped
wearing corsets and Pointe shoes in the search for greater freedom of movement.

Throughout the 20th century, sociopolitical concerns, major historical events, and

the development of other art forms contributed to the continued development of

modernist dance in the United States and Germany.

Moving into the 1960s, new ideas about dance began to emerge, as a response to

earlier dance forms and to social changes. American modern dance can be divided

into three periods or eras. In the Early Modern period (1880 to 1923), characterized

by the work of Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, and

Eleanor King, artistic practice changed radically, but clearly distinct modern dance

techniques had not yet emerged.

In the Central Modern period (1923 to 1946), choreographers Martha Graham,

Doris Humphrey, Katherine Dunham, Charles Weidman, and Lester Horton sought

to develop distinctively American movement styles and vocabularies, and

developed clearly defined and recognizable dance training systems. In the Late

Modern period (1946 to 1957), José Limón, Pearl Primus, Merce Cunningham,

Talley Beatty, Erick Hawkins, Anna Sokolow, Anna Halprin, Paul Taylor

introduced clear abstractionism and avant-garde movements, and paved the way

for postmodern dance. Modern dance has evolved with each subsequent generation

of participating artists. Artistic content has morphed and shifted from one

choreographer to another, as have styles and techniques. Artists such as Graham

and Horton developed techniques in the Central Modern Period that are still taught

worldwide, and numerous other types of modern dance exist today (Wikipedia).

3.1.2 Contemporary Dance History

Contemporary dance is a dance genre that developed during the mid twentieth

century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally
trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly strong popularity in the

U.S. and Europe. Although originally informed by and borrowing from classical,

modern, and jazz styles, it has since come to incorporate elements from many

styles of dance. Due to its technical similarities, it is often perceived to be closely

related to modern dance, ballet and other classical concert dance styles. In terms of

the focus of its technique, contemporary dance tends to combine the strong and

controlled legwork of ballet with modern dance's stress on the torso, and also

employs contract-release, floor work, fall and recovery, and improvisation

characteristic of modern dance.

Unpredictable changes in rhythm, speed, and direction are often used, as well. It

sometimes also incorporates elements of non-western dance cultures such as

elements from African dance including bent knees, or movements from the

Japanese contemporary dance. Contemporary dance draws on both classical ballet

and modern dance, whereas postmodern dance is a direct and opposite response to

modern dance. Merce Cunningham is considered to be the first choreographer to

"develop an independent attitude towards modern dance" and defy the ideas that

were established by it. In 1944 Cunningham accompanied his dance with music by

John Cage, who observed that Cunningham's dance "no longer relies on linear

elements or does it rely on a movement towards and away from climax. As in

abstract painting, it is assumed that an element (a movement, a sound, a change of

light) is in and of itself expressive; what it communicates is in large part

determined by the observer themselves." Cunningham formed the Merce

Cunningham Dance Company in 1953 and went on to create more than one

hundred and fifty works for the company, many of which has been performed

internationally by ballet and modern dance companies (Wikipedia).

3.1.3 Difference between Contemporary and Modern Dance

Contemporary dance is the abstract aspect of modern dance, not modern dance

allow but all other dance types found anywhere in the world. The word

contemporary to dance is the nonconventional representation of dance that is, not

following the ideal pattern of various dances. There are specific modern dance

techniques (i.e. Graham, Limon, Horton, etc.) that are unique to themselves but

have many underlying similarities and themes.

The pioneers of modern dance wanted to break away from traditional ballet and

were mostly female (a radical change.) The modern dance movement was followed

by the postmodern dance movement in the 50s and 60s which aimed to break away

from the compositional constraints of modern. It included the use of chance and

improvisation. Contemporary dance is a slightly more vague and broad term. It

means different things to different people. Many dancers in the

commercial/competition world refer to their contemporary jazz as contemporary.

However, the concert world sees contemporary differently. It can be used to

describe any dancing that is new, different, or untraditional. It can include elements

of many kinds of dance including non-western dance forms. Truth is, they are the

same in many ways. Both forms of dance stemmed from modern dance pioneers

during the turn of the 19th Century like Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham.

Modern Dance is a specific style of dance that is free form and stems from the

core, or torso, of the body and uses elements like contact-release, floor work, fall

and recovery, and improvisation. Just like a Picasso is different from a Monet,

modern dance is different from ballet. Contemporary Dance incoporat styles that

includes modern, jazz, ballet, and hip hop elements.

3.1.4 History of Folk Dance

With each passing year, customs and beliefs of people get built little by little,

slowly with time forming into traditions. Folk dances represent one of the strongest

ways these (sometimes truly ancient) traditions of countries and regions can be

showcased to the public. Even though many traditional dances bear the name of an

ethnic dance, not all of them remained folk dances, but all of them try to emphasize

the cultural roots of the particular dance.

Some of them morphed over time into religious dances, and as such, they are not

primarily used to showcase tradition but to enhance religious ceremonies and

beliefs. Such dances are often called religious or ritual dances. Folk dances are

usually danced at social gatherings (which can be formed spontaneously or during

yearly celebrations) that can but are not required to have a particular dancing stage

and are almost always so simple to dance that new dancers and amateurs are

encouraged to start dancing with everyone else (Wikipedia.org).

3.1.5 Dance in Nigeria

Dance is a very important part of the Nigerian way of life. Conventional wisdom

has it that every Nigerian can dance, those who claim inabilities to dance are

routinely asked if their mother did not carry them on her back when they were

babies. We do not believe that dance is something you learn but something you’re

born with. Every Nigerian can dance; some just do it better than others.

According to Onuora O. Enekwe in his Theories of Dance;

The dance in Nigeria has remained a vital and dynamic art form, because it has

been allowed to thrive in a predominantly rural environment. Fortunately, the great

majority practiced and still practices their dance with minimal interference or

hindrance from colonial authorities or their agents (:12)

3. 2 Types and Forms of Dance

According to Pierre, Dance took its root from mother nature, from the movement

of animals to the flying of birds, to the flowing of wave movements, these were

translated in to dance forms and styles down to the generation of time; Each ethnic

group were naturally influenced by it geographic locale and culture. There are

basically two types of dance and they are;

1. Traditional Dance (folk)

2. Contemporary Dance [modern]

Traditional Dance [Folk Dance]

Dance is a source of enjoyment, a stress buster or simply, an exercise. When in the

form of folk dance it also connects to the ethos of the land. Folk dances are about

history; about traditions and exotic beauty of the land it is associated with. Nigeria

is said to have up to 250 ethnic groups and as many languages.

Traditional dance basically, are all the formal and informal dance moves, steps,

patterns and practices that has been passed on to this present crop of Nigerians by

our ancestors. Every tribe has its version or variation of dance and it comes with

intrinsic meaning for the people who have it. For example, Igbo in Eastern and

Southern Nigeria dance a very vigorous acrobatic dance called Atilogwu and Tiv

dancers do the Swange or the Cat Dance. Even within individual cultural groups

there can be different styles of dancing suitable for different occasions

(Wikipedia.com).

Some Nigerian dances up close and personal would be to attend any of the many

festivals that are organized regularly. From the National festival, a celebration of

the different cultures in Nigeria, this is held annually in the nation’s capital Abuja
to various festivals organized by states. The various dances of the people are

usually on display in these festivals.

Contemporary Dance Types [Modern Dance]

Contemporary dancing is a genre of dance that is basically a post modern form of

dancing that is freer, more natural and makes use of systems and methods that are

carved out from modern dance, postmodern dance and classical ballet. It is derived

from modern dance techniques, newer philosophies of movement that is less

inhibitive and excluding structured form and movement (dance facts).

Dancers say it gives room for more expression, which is what dancing is all about.

It also seeks to tell stories and for a society like ours, is used to satirize and critique

political issues. Sometimes it comes in an abstract form and is very difficult to

understand.

Because nothing stays static and no one is an island of himself dance has evolved

in Nigeria. Were you to walk into a Nigerian club or party, you would not see a lot

of people dancing the traditional steps. What you would see is what we have come

to refer to as contemporary dance. It is a fusion of western dance styles and

traditional dance styles as well as various self-expressionism dance moves. Some

of these moves are simply modern forms of traditional dances like etighi which

came from one of Calabar’s traditional dances. Others like the alanta and skelewu

are the offerings of popular musicians expressing themselves and giving their

listeners an opportunity to do same. There is, of course, the ever present western

style hip-hop dance moves all remixed to give them a Nigerian flavor.

Types of Contemporary Dance

Ballet is one of the most common types of dance, and many other types of dance

are actually based on ballet. This style of dance has been around for centuries, and

it is often considered to be one of the most beautiful.

Modern dance; according to dance scholars, modern dance is similar to classic

ballet, but it generally does not follow the same strict rules, guidelines, and dance

moves.

Tap dance;

Tap dancing is originated with Africa dancers in early America. Tap dancing is

another popular form of dancing. Unlike most other dancers, tap dancers need

special noise making shoes with metal plates that make a tapping sound when the

dancer strikes her foot on the floor. Along with expressing herself through

movements, a tap dancer will also usually add to the rhythm of the music or make

her own music by tapping her shoes on the floor [Seibert, B).

Jazz Dance;

Jazz dancing originated from dancers from Africans brought to America as slaves

Jazz Dance is another form of dance that is commonly associated with the

electronic and rock music. It is a fun dance style that relies heavily on originality

and improvisation. Many jazz dancers mix different styles into their dancing,

incorporating their own expression. Jazz dancing often uses bold, dramatic body

movements, including body isolations and contractions (Wikipedia.Org).

Hip-hop dance;

Hip-hop dance is also common among the electronic and rock dance. It is actually

a folk dance style, usually danced to hip-hop music that evolved from the break

dance culture of the inner city. Hip-hop includes various moves such as breaking,
popping, locking and krumping, Improvisation and personal interpretation are

essential to hip-hop dancing. (Wikipedia.Org).

Major Folk Dance in the world

Samba

Samba dance is a lively, rhythmical dance of Afro-Brazilian origin. The dance is

done basically during carnivals and celebrations. There are different variations of

Samba based on regions but the basic steps are similar; what changes usually are

the music and the movement of legs.

Milonga

Is a dance which could be said to be a variation of the Tango; only the former

being more relaxed. The roots of this dance go deep into the Argentinian folklore.

Gumboot Dance

Gumboot dance is one of the South African dances. It is a dance that is performed

by dancers wearing Wellingtons – a type of boot. This dance originated from the

black miners and was their form of entertainment. The dance was formed when

drumming was forbidden by the authorities, and hence the boots were used as the

alternative. It is very popular today and it is highly energetic. (South Africa)

Casino

Casino is the Cuban style Salsa which has actually achieved great popularity in

many part of the world. Be it the US, Latin America or Europe, Casino is held in

great esteem. For the Cubans, Casino is more than just a dance; it is a part of their

tradition and social life. The grooves, the steps and the music make this an
entertaining dance and one that has been adapted in various other countries, too.

(Cuba)

Tarantella

Around the 16th century in Taranto, Italy, people broke into a dance to ward off

death from the highly poisonous bite of a Tarantula spider. They would dance in a

frantic and hysterical fashion to fast music, and this is what later came to be known

as Tarantella. Today, it is one of the most popular folk dances in southern Italy and

also the world. With its hypnotic music set at a high tempo, Tarantella is also used

for therapeutic purposes. (Italy)

Halay

Halay is a folk dance originated from eastern Turkey South- Eastern and Central

Anatolia regions. It is extremely popular and engaging dance of the country which

is accompanied by equally rich music and instruments.

Bhangra

Bhangra is perhaps the most popular folk dance from India which has extended its

reach all around the world due to wide-reaching Punjabi Diaspora. It is a harvest

dance with its roots in Punjab the North-western region of India. In countries like

Canada, UK, USA and even Australia, the migrant Punjabi population has made

Bhangra immensely popular. Its reputation is such that it is also used in fitness

routines.

Baladi

This is a form of belly dancing. Belly dancing has various streams from classical to

cabaret. But Baladi is typically a style that evolved from the tribal areas of the

country and hence very much a traditional dance. One need not enunciate the
charm of any form of belly dancing, for it has a certain mystical and romantic

allure. (Egypt)

Irish step dance

Irish step dance evolved from traditional Irish dance and is today quite popular

around the world. The dance can be performed wearing either of the two kinds of

shoes hard or soft. The best part is that it can be danced solo or in groups.

Folk Dances in Nigeria

Historic and traditional dance goes back hundreds and even thousands of years.

Nigeria has the treasure of a variety of folk and tribal dances in regions across the

country. The eastern region, which consist mostly of the Igbo, the West which are

the Yoruba’s, the North which entails the Fulani’s and Hausa’s, the south which is

made up of Bayalsa, Calabar, Benin, Delta, Rivers and` have a list of traditional

dances performed as a form of emotional expression, social interaction, or

exercise, in a spiritual or performance setting, and these dances are sometimes used

to express ideas or tell a story.

⦁ Igbo Dances

Here we want to discuss some Igbo dances;

Ikpirikpi-ogu (War dance)

Commonly associated with the people of Abam in Arochukwu LGA, Abia State,

Nigeria,Ikpirikpi-ogu is a dance of warriors. Originally performed to welcome

soldiers back from tribal wars, it exudes an air of valor and is strictly performed by

men. Today it’s purely symbolical to show the strength of a community and its
conquest over collective challenges. It is performed at key festivals and community

events.

Atilogwu (Acrobatic Dance)

This is very similar to performances by cheerleaders in today’s western world. It is

known as the ‘Acrobatic Dance” as it requires a lot of quick movements and

calisthenics. It is mainly performed by the youth for entertainment at ceremonies or

other events.

Nkwa umu-Agbogho (The Maiden Dance)

In a bid to attract suitors, this dance which involves rhythmic movements of the

chest and waist, is performed by maidens who have come of age and are set to

marry. It is a key aspect of the Igbo culture and is used to foster abstinence from

sexual activities before marriage. In recent times, it is performed as a form of

entertainment by young ladies with supple bodies.

Omuru-onwa and Agbacha-ekuru-nwa

This dance, strictly performed by married women, generally involves responsive

movement of the body, in a rhythmic fashion to hip-swinging music. Married

women and new mothers used such entertaining opportunities to exercise, lose

weight, shed baby-fats and stay healthy through weekly rehearsals.

Mmanwu (masquerades)

Possibly the most popular dance in the Igbo culture, Mmanwu is celebrated across

the entire Igbo landscape. In ancient times, masquerades were seen as sacred as

they either represented deities or were messengers sent by deities to deliver

judgments or penalties on people. They were untouchable; feared to be spirits. It is

assumed that during the Mmanwu dance, the spirit of the deity possesses the

person wearing masquerade. The Mmanwu dance was and is still featured in most
Igbo carnivals, celebrations and funerals including the new yam festival. Their

performances are usually vibrant and itinerant causing audiences to move around

in order to fully enjoy the performance.

⦁ Yoruba Dances

Amongst the Yoruba dances Bata and Gese will be discus.

Bata Dance

Bata dance is prominent in the western region of Nigeria, home to the Yoruba

tribe and associated with Sango god of Thunder. It is believed to be athletic and

overtly acrobatic. The dance emerged from the need to soothe a king with a fiery

and tempestuous nature. The dance is not fully achieved without the music from

the bata drums, ilu bata.

Gese Dance

Is a religious dance that originated from the Yorubaland of western Nigeria and

gets its name from a type of drum. Its famous sources come specifically from the

towns of Okeigbo and Ifetedo in the southwest region of Nigeria. It is grounded in

complex drum rhythms that only trained dancers can expertly perform in a way

that truly represents the religious customs of the people. The movements represent

a holistic view of life that is enshrined in the people’s religious practices. Gese

dancing is also used to praise various Yoruba gods; each deity has its own drum

beat that dancer’s move to as they honor their god.

⦁ Hausa Dance
The Northerners have various types of dances but koroso will be discuss

Koroso Dance

The dance, which from inception, hinges on a particular pattern of steps and body

movement, has evolved over time. The dance is a combination of movement from

various traditional dances of the Fulani and Hausa people of Kano State, with the

name derived from the rattle tied around the dancers’ legs.

⦁ Bayelsa Dances

Let us talk about the Ageni dance amongst the Bayelsa dances;

Ageni

Ageni is an antelope dance; it makes use of the leg more in doing the dance,

jumping up and down rhythmically with a keen concentration of drooping the legs

simultaneously. The dance emerges from the way an antelope runs.

⦁ Calabar Dance

Ekombi is one of the popular dance amongst Calabar dances;

Ekombi Dance

Ekombi is a traditional dance amongst the Efik people in Calabar, Cross River

State Nigeria. The movements are derived from the motions of the ocean. It is a

graceful dance with incredible footwork; it’s a dance of peace and happiness.

Ekombi shows a woman’s beauty and femininity.

⦁ Benin Dance

Here we want to discuss one of the Benin dances;

Ohogho Dance The Ohogho dance comes from the Benin culture and belongs to

certain strong and healthy age groups. It is a religious dancer that has its dancers

wearing the waist gown ebuluku and dance in circles with gongs or bells in their
hands and around a bowl with burning medicinal leaves. It wards off evils and

forms a part of major religious ceremonies.

⦁ Benue Dance

Here we want to look in to the one of the Benue dances;

Swange Dance

Swange is a form of urban recreational dance among the Tiv in which men and

women dance together. This dance uses the circle formation familiar in village

dances and adapts traditional musical themes to highlife rhythms played on a

combination of Tiv and Hausa instruments.

⦁ Delta Dance

This is one of the Delta dances;

Ukwata Dance

The Ukwata Dance is one of the dances of the Abbi people of Delta State during

the Ukwata Festival. It comes with religious aspects that include dances and rituals

to worship the gods. Throughout the festival, women make bonfires to keep evil

spirits at bay. Toward the end of the festival, the Egwu, Igba and Ukele dancers

dress in marine colors and wear costumes representing aquatic creatures like

crocodiles, alligators, fish and iguanas. The dance patterns they form represent the

origin of these aquatic creatures while suggesting the dance of mermaids

(oldnaija.com)

Contemporary/Modern Dances in Nigeria (Africa)

Contemporary dances in Africa always came in the form of musical albums.

Musicians create these dances to help sell their music. In Nigeria people love to
dance and every Nigerian artist who knows this tries to create a new dance move

for fans to keep their song and music video alive.

Galala

This dance step is associated with "the ghetto" or Ajegunle. In Lagos it was made

popular by Daddy Showkey, African China, and Baba Fryo. This dance make use

of both legs moving one after the another forward and backward, while setting on

the air with the hands moving opposite to the legs.

Suo

Suo also a "ghetto" dance overthrew galala to become the hottest thing in the late

nineties but unlike galala, its reign was brief. It was made popular by Mountain

Black and Mad Melon aka Danfo Drivers on their hit single, Danfo Driver. The

dance is done by sitting on the air, opening and closing the legs while turning both

hands round each other.

Alanta

Alanta is an original Nigerian dance that started in 2007 in Ajegunle, a suburb of

Lagos. It was released by Artquake in a musical video, “Alanta” and like most

African dances; it requires vigorous movements of the hand, hips and leg. The

dance style uses a patterned movement of the hands as if fanning flames while

raising one leg and the lyrics explain the movement sequence. The Alanta dance

craze was popularized by Nigerian musicians like Artquake, Terry G, Timaya.

TuFace Idibia.

Azonto

Azonto is a Ghanaian dance originated by singer Fuse ODG with his song Azonto

featuring Tiffany. It gained more popularity when Wizkid spits on its beat in one of

his freestyles. It has gone on to become one of the greatest dance movements in the
last decade, spreading from Ghana to other African countries and Europe. The

dance step is done by bending down, opening and closing the right or left leg,

putting the right or left hand in between the right or left leg, moving the hand

down, center, up and a little of shoulder movement.

Makossa

Makossa is actually based on the Congolese soukous. It was made popular in

Nigeria following an influx of Francophone songs by Koffi Olomide, Awilo

Longomba and others. The dance deal with the waist region more than the other

part of the body with leg movement is stylized.

Etigi

Etigi is actually an Efik traditional dance move that was modernised, and was

made popular by Iyanya. You can do the dance by bending the upper part of your

body, and rising one leg after the other within two two bit.

Skelewu

This dance is originated by Davido. The dance is done by putting your right or left

hands foreword and the other on your chest, while the legs open and close one after

the other moving backward.

Shoki

Shoki dance was originated by Dre San, Lil Kesh and Orezi. It is a dance that

makes use of the entire body, but the legs and hands are the most significant. It is

done by opening of the legs while sitting on air, sitting sideways with the hands

moving between the legs and above the head with a wave of both hands at the end.
Sekem

Sekem is a dance originated by MC Galaxy in his track title sekem. The dance is a

sideways, back and forth moves. Using one of the leg to move the other leg,

making one of the legs look like a crippled leg, while moving with the hand

accompany the side, back, or forth movement of the body.

Shakiti Bobo

The dance was originated by Olamide, in his BOBO. The dance step deals with the

arms and legs. The hands go up and down and the legs follows suit, embracing

both arms.

3.3 Social Relevance of Dance

Dance has also been considered as ritual drama: of communities and anti structure.

Victor Turner (1969) discusses the paradox present in any society where social

inequalities, rivalries and property interests divide people according to some

prevailing structural premises, yet there is at the same time human bonding, a

community, that unites them all regardless of differences in status. Keeping aside

the differences in status, caste, creed and class, all human beings are subject to the

cycle of nature be it birth, death, fertility or the uncertain impact of nature. They

are beyond the control of individuals and are closely related to the expression of

communities, because humans crave to be with each other and look for solace

among their group and community. Therefore, on the one hand one sees the

structured aspect that dominates day to day existence and on the other hand the

underlying force of communitas rises to the surface in times of anxiety. Neither

structure nor communitas is complete in itself; together they give shape and
meaning to human existence. Dance in such a thought process displays itself as a

asocial and leveling activity that draws people together in solidarity. It is also

frequently marginal and anomalous in its own way since it contrasts with normal

everyday life by taking the dancers out of their structured routine and into a realm

of timeless charm (Spencer).

During dance, structure and stratification are forgotten people come together

expressing themselves freely. On the basis of this theme, one could look at Robin

Horton’s analysis of the ritual cycle of masquerade dances among the Kalabari also

associated with spirit possession in Nigeria. The Kalabari are a coastal people

whose traditional economy is based on fishing. Each village has its own Ekine

(men’s society) organized around the annual performance of a cycle of thirty or

more masquerade plays. According to popular belief, the cycle was originally

devised by water spirits who controlled the weather and abundance of fish in

distant creeks, but had also been partly tamed by the Ekine, bringing creativity and

innovation to Kalabari. Each spirit was represented in the cycle by a particular

mask and associated with drum rhythm. The cycle enacted episodes that reflected

the thrust of Kalabari life.

According to spencer; Moving away from the usual pattern of the restricted

choices of everyday life, each member of Ekine was free to select from a wide

range of masquerade personalities in order to master one dance pattern to

perfection. This could be his consuming pleasure and provide a sense of secure

identity and success. The immediate aim in dancing was to enhance the standing of

the Ekine as a whole rather than that of the individual dancer, who was expected to

remain anonymous and concealed by his mask. When his performance excelled, it

was regarded as an achievement of the possessing spirit rather than that of the
dancer himself. Indeed the competitive element of the masquerade plays was

removed one further step from the performance by the notion that it was not the

actual spirits who were betraying relentless opportunism, but the characters in the

play they had devised: the dancers were possessed by spirits who were only acting.

This separation of competitiveness from Ekine activities was an ideal that was only

partially achieved in practice. The water spirits by reputation had a vicious streak,

which had only partly been tamed by the Ekine society; and dancers were not

wholly incognito and their success could bring them into rivalry for the favors of

women. Yet the emphasis in Ekine was against competition and the basic ideals of

the masquerade were to disentangle the character and the themes of the plays from

the personalities of the dancers, giving a certain detachment essential for true

aesthetic performance and for appreciating these performances as ends in

themselves.

Spencer stresses that; dance occupies central place in cultures throughout the

African continent, embodying energy and a graceful beauty flowing with rhythm.

In Africa, dance is a means of marking life experiences, encouraging abundant

crops, honoring kings and queens, celebrating weddings, marking rites of passage,

and other ceremonial occasions. Dance is also done purely for enjoyment. Ritual

dance, including many dances utilizing masks, is a way of achieving

communication with the gods. As modern economic and political forces have

wrought changes on African society, African dance has also adapted, filling new

needs that have arisen as many African people have migrated from villages toward

the cities.

Furthermore dance is an art form that is becoming more and more appreciated

every day. Everywhere you look you can find its influence on our culture, either in
the newspaper, on the stage, and even on television. Local companies and studios

are always creating new works and choreographing programs for the public to

view, like 'Nation's Best Dance Act' competition, Korean Dance Competition,

MTN Battle of the Year, Maltina Dance All 2017 etc. It mixed the conventional

techniques of a professional ballet dance, hip-hop (contemporary), and folk dance

techniques. Several television series have also popped up over the last few years

that showcase dance, eg Africa Magic (Maltina Dance All), Dance with Peter

(MTV Base), popular movies include Mad about Dance (2016), Congo Dance

(2016).

Dance is becoming a larger part of the Nigerian culture on a daily basis. Dancing

Captivates People Everywhere What are the benefits of dancing? Is it an act you

participate in just to pass the time during the weekend or, possibly, a weeknight?

Do you dance so you can feel beautiful and graceful for a change, or does it hold

something of more value for you? What is so important about the act of dancing?

Of course, it's an entertaining exercise, but why is it so captivating? Why do you

crave "the dance?" Why do you dance when the music gets into your soul?

Dancing is an energizing, captivating experience. We live it! We feel it! We

breathe it! We love it! Why? What Purpose Does Dancing Serve? Dancing

provides many great benefits and, while it's not possible to list them all, some of

these benefits are listed below:

⦁ Dancing allows one to express oneself.

⦁ A sense of unity is found within the dance.

⦁ Dancing provides physical/mental refreshment and relaxation.

⦁ Laughter and fun dancing can provide a lot of entertainment.

⦁ Dancing is a form of exercise.

⦁ Dancers find inspiration and motivation as they become lost in the

dance.

⦁ Dancing allows professional dancers to form affiliations.

⦁ Dancing Conveys Message.

⦁ Dancing brings Unity, a Bond Created or Shared People come together

through dance. It provides entertainment for people of all ages, races, and

backgrounds. They enjoy time spent together in a positive, upbeat

environment. They are energized and inspired by other dancers in their midst.

The more adventurous dancers may try to emulate the moves of others, which

provides another sense of entertainment and draws people together. Strangers have

the potential to become friends, while families and friends bond more closely

because of the positive experiences they've shared on the dance floor. People make

the society, and if people are happy together, society is happy as well.

⦁ Dancing for Relaxation

Dancing helps bodies and minds relax as the music and surroundings take people

away from their anxiety and frustration for a while. Mentally, they unwind and

have fun, sharing a laugh or two. As their minds relax, their bodies follow. Their

muscles loosen up and tension and stress melt away.

⦁ Dance as Universal Language

Dance compliments people with different tastes, emotions, needs, and backgrounds

because there is so much variety. As a result, dancing has not only become a

universal art form, but a universal language. (HobbyLark.com)

The relevance of dance to a society emanates from how relevant it is to its culture.

Because a culture makes a people and the people make a culture, so what brings

this people together is dance, which harmonize a society (culture). Dance is such a

natural form of human expression because there are two conditions of limitation

which we all experience in this life- space and time. And while most all movement

adheres to the same “rules,” i.e. occurring in space and in time, there are only a

few things that feel as good as dancing. Within the bounds of social mores, we can

try on costumes, roles, animal identities and movement without it being considered

threatening to others in our community. In fact it turns out to be so completely

appropriate that it is, in one way or another, adopted by cultures everywhere. It

may also be relevant to consider that “culture” itself is very much tied to time. We

do not develop culture without leisure time. Put another way, while running from a

pack of wild dogs, one does not dance. Dance as well as just about everything else

we consider “civilized” develops only once we are not absorbed with meeting

basic needs.

Dance has an important role in culture so is the society which governs the culture.

The study views dance as one of the most significant parts of a culture, as it

describes successfully enough the main characteristics of a nation. Most of the

traditional dances have been formed and developed through the centuries so that

they actually reflect a nation's culture. So every dance, we can say, is a short

description of a tradition of a nation. For example, in Nigeria there are many

traditional dances that describe different things, like a war scene, a fight for a

woman's heart or a wedding. Watching these dances we actually witness moments

of regular people's everyday lives. The action that takes place and the story that

narrates a dance is not the only source of information about the individual nation.
The music that accompanies the dance, the traditional suits that the dance

performers wear, the specific moves, the dancers' number, even the expressions on

the dancers' faces can clearly show the nation's cultural travel through the history.

Like in the case of individual and society interaction the individuals form the

society, the society forms the individual culture also can be affected by the dance.

Living in the era of globalization, we can observe how a traditional dance like

Salsa, or a new kind of dance like Free Style become popular in the whole world.

Those dances, newly introduced in a country play a significant role in the lives of

younger generations, thus become part of the county's culture.

Thus Dance is an expression of self and emotion. It involves physicality of

movement both bodily and facial. For centuries, dance has been a part of various

cultures from primitive man to the modern urban individual. Right from

celebrating marriage, birth, to warding off evil and pacifying the supernatural,

dance has been a mode to fulfill various desires and aspirations. Dance to a large

extent has been documented in anthropology though it has been a neglected area as

far as sociology is concerned.

Spencer opines that anthropologists have studied dance and society of various

cultures in the world. Dance is a product of society and while interacting with it

can trace its roots to several centuries. The role and portrayal of dance has to be

seen and understood in the context of the various cultures they belong to. Dance is

believed to be therapeutic, functioning as a safety valve. Right from dealing with

the fear of the unknown, to creating a special place as an art form, dance has

played different roles and served diverse purposes. The relation between dance and

society would be mutual: both drawing from each other. Society with its physical

element, diffusion, development of language and culture forms the basis of dance.
Dance on the other hand creates images, stories and spreads messages of society.

Society in turn internalizes its lessons of content and pleasure from dance.(38)

In 1857, Herbert Spencer’s theory of ‘The origin and function of music’ elaborated

on the significance of intonation in ordinary speech. He emphasized the

importance of communicating emotion and evoking sympathy. Beyond purely

verbal understanding, he perceived the non-verbal expressions as the highest ideals

of society that bind people together and these he suggested form the basis of non-

verbal arts. Dance is an obvious metaphor that has been used to describe this non-

verbal signaling.

In Nigeria, most of the dance festivities and Competitions have put food on

the table of most families; of course what affects a person affects the society. Many

families have been surviving through the outcome of this dance competition in the

country; as such they have been able to develop their environment. for example

Maltina Dance All, ( The Maltina Dance All also known as “MDA” is a medium

for talented dancing families to showcase their moves in steps from Hip Hop, Jive,

Gumboot, Pantomine, Wazobia and Salsa in a contest to become Nigeria’s No.1

Dance Family. This Family Talent Show has gone across the country from Lagos

to Benin, Enugu, Ibadan, Abuja and Port Harcourt, in search of dancers who

represent the best in Nigeria with fun and excitement.) ADA’S Family Winner

2016 Maltina Dance all Season 9; thus winning for themselves a fortune, of the

sum of N10, 000,000.00 a car. What is a society without a people? Dance has been

a relevant Art in Nigeria and to Nigerians. It brings people from different places

together.

Dance brings Communion in the society, and language Union. Like the calabar

carnival which begins every 1st of December and last for the rest of the year. This
has boosted the cultural mosaic of Nigerians people while entertaining the millions

of spectators within and outside the State, thus boosting industry for all

stakeholders. Dance brings people together either by storytelling, wedding,

farming, fishing, etc. After a critical look at the relevance of dance to the society,

you will agree that dance has been a vital part of society and society.

3.4 Dances as a Career

According to Wikipedia, career is an individual's journey through learning, work

and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term

is used in a variety of ways. The word career is defined by the Oxford advanced

English learners Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life (or a

distinct portion of life)". In this definition career is understood to relate to a range

of aspects of an individual's life, learning and work. Career is also frequently

understood to relate to the working aspects of an individual's life.

Career is used to describe an occupation or a profession that usually involves

special training or formal education, and is considered to be a person’s life work.

In this case "a career" is seen as a sequence of related jobs usually pursued within a

single industry or sectors e.g. "a career in education" or "a career as a dancer or

choreographer".

In our society today, children face a complex and rapidly changing society. It has

been reported that regardless of great effort put forth by families, government

agencies and non-government agencies, many young people encounter difficulties

in the transition from the world of school to that of work (Atchoarena cited in Pilot

& Regis, 33). Investigating and better understanding the myriad factors that

contribute to career choice is a topic of recurring interest in our society today. To

guide students in their career decision making, socio-demographic factors play a

central role in this lifelong process (Pilot & Regis, 55). These factors include

family, school, career guidance program, media and peers.

Families/parents involvement refers to the extent to which the parents or family

members are involved in the career plans of children (Salami, 22). According to

Kniveton (6), the family can provide information and guidance directly or

indirectly, to influence a young person’s career choice. For example, parents offer

appropriate support for certain occupational choices which tend to follow their own

(Small & McClean, 101).

Finally family involvement also includes the extent to which parents give

encouragement, responsiveness, approval and financial support in matters

concerned with the career plans of their children (Salami, 23). It is a well know

fact that in our society today, parents are the ones that nurture, raise, promote and

support the physical, emotional, social, intellectual and career development needs

of the students. They serve as significant interpreters for children of information

about the world and children’s abilities (Pitol & Regis 24).

CHAPTER FOUR: TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

4.1 Synopsis of the Dance

The play mad dance is a dramatic monologue and a dance drama deals on career

choice interference. It depicts the trauma and psychological disposition of children

who are at the Mercy of their parents who force and impose a particular career on

them. It showcases the effect, the pains of fighting against the career of a child and

proffer solution to the problem of the society. The story revolves round Alvin

People, a son of a prolific politician and businessman. Alvin is a boy who has
passion and dreams and is being driven by his passion, dreams and talent of being

a dancer just like his mentors. This passion of his, brought chaos in the family, as

his parents want a different career for him. With deep sense of persuasion, he

convinced his mother Mrs. Pepple, who stood by him true his trait period, his

father cannot understand the shame according to him, he had to disown the poor

boy. As Alvin is about to board a plan to America, there he sees his father who

begs him to forgive him for what he did to him. At last Alvin achieves his dreams;

he becomes the minister of culture and tourism.

4. 2 Dramatic Elements

The six Aristotelian elements of a play are: plot, character, thought, diction,

spectacle and song/music.

Plot

English novelist E. M. Forster described plot as the cause-and-effect relationship

between events in a story. According to Aristotle, Plot is the arrangement of these

incident and events. It contains the kernel of the action. Aristotle says that plot is

the first principle, the soul of tragedy. He lists six formative elements of a tragedy;

Plot, character, thought, music, diction, spectacle and gives the first place to plot.

Plot the arrangement of events or incidents on the stage. The plot is composed of

“clearly defined problems for characters to solve.

Plot is to be differentiated from Story who is a chronological detailing of events

that happened on and off stage. Events happening off stage are introduced through

exposition (narrative dialogue). The playwright must create a plot that is both

credible and astonishing (Kermode, et al 6).

According to the Wikipedia, Plot refers to the sequence of events inside a story

which affect other events through the principle of cause and effect. The causal

events of a plot can be thought of as a series of sentences linked by "and so". Plots

can vary from simple structures such as in a traditional ballad to complex

interwoven structures sometimes referred to as an imbroglio. The term plot can

serve as a verb and refer to a character planning future actions in the story.

In the narrative sense, the term highlights the important points which have

important consequences within the story; according to Ansen Dibell the term is

similar in meaning to the term storyline.

The plot must have a certain magnitude or ‘length’. ‘Magnitude’ here means ‘size’.

It should be neither too small nor too large. It should be long enough to allow the

process of change from happiness to misery but not too long to be forgotten before

the end. If it is too small, its different parts will not be clearly distinguishable from

each other. Magnitude also implies order and proportion and they depend upon the

magnitude. The different parts must be properly related to each other and to the

whole. Thus magnitude implies that the plot must have order, logic symmetry and

perspicuity (Aristotle, 1997, vi)

According to Aristotle plots may be, simple or Complex. A Simple plot is without

any Peripety and Anagnorisis but the action moves forward uniformly without any

violent or sudden change. Aristotle prefers Complex plots. It must have Peripeteia,

i.e. “reversal of intention” and Anagnorisis, i.e. “recognition of truth”. While

Peripeteia is ignorance of truth, Anagnorisis is the insight of truth forced upon the

hero by some signs or chance or by the logic events. In ideal plot Anagnorisis

follows or coincides with Peripeteia.

'Recognition' in the sense is closely akin to reversal. Recognition and reversal can

be caused by separate incidents. Often it is difficult to separate the two. Complex

plots are the best, for recognition and reversal add the element of surprise and “the

pitiable and fearful incidents are made more so by the shock of surprise”.

Aristotle says that the plot must be a complete whole. It must have a

beginning, middle and an end;

A beginning is that which does not itself follow some other things, by causal

necessity, but after which something naturally is or comes to be. An end, on the

contrary, is that which itself naturally follows some other thing, either by necessity,

or as a rule, but has nothing following it. Middle is that which follows something

as some other follows it (Aristotle, vii).

The beginning

The beginning of a play establishes some or all of these: the place, the occasions,

the characters, the mood, the theme and the internal logic that will be followed.

The exposition is the setting forth of information about earlier events, the identity

and relationship of the characters, and the present situation (Oscar and Robert, 39).

The play begins with the narrator's introduction of the story, characters and the

backdrop which the story is traced. Mr. Pepple is seen coming out of the room

angrily, his wife is in the parlor reading book. Mr. Pepple is angry with their driver

for not bringing Alvin their son back from school early for him to see before going

to his office, while Mrs. Pepple is trying to calm him down.

The Middle

Middle is consequent upon a situation gone before. The middle is followed

logically by the end. The middle of a normally consists of rising action composed
of series of complications. A complication is any new element that changes the

direction of an action, the discovery of new information, for example, or the arrival

of characters (Brockett, & Robert, 41).

The middle contains the complications and climax. Thus the middle of the play

started from where Alvin comes back home with a letter for the father to sing so he

can attend the scholarship to the America dance academy, which has been his

dream and career that his parents had refuse him for getting. He convinced his

mother with lots of facts and she consent. But his father discontent get higher then

eve. In the process of argument between the father and mother he runs away out of

frustration.

The end

And end is consequent upon a given situation, but is not followed by any further

incident. Thus artistic wholeness implies logical link-up of the various incidents,

events and situations that form the plot. The end is the final portion of the play, the

resolution or denouement (unraveling or untying), extents from the crisis to the

final curtain (Brockett, & Robert, 42).

At the end he achieves his aim of becoming a professional action, and his father

apologizes for sending him away and for choosing a career for him, so they live

happy ever after.

4.2 Character

Characters is the agent of plot, it provide the motivations (reasons) for the events

of the plot. Character is the primary material from which plots are created, because

incidents are developed through the speech and behavior of dramatic personage

(45).

The characters in the play are:

Narrator

The narrator is the older version of Alvin. He tells the past story of his young

years.

Alvin Ogolo

Alvin is the lead character whose career is to study dance in "Dance academy

America", but his parents do not consent to his career choice. Alvin believes in his

career and sand by it no matter the circumstances, and did achieve his dream.

Mr. Pepple Ogolo

Pepple is the father of Alvin and husband to Mary, a strict when you antagonize

him but loving when you listen to him. He is a prolific figure in the state, a

business guru, and a business tycoon. His is one among men in the society whose

voice is heard.

Mrs. Mary Pepple Ogolo

Mary is the wife of Mr. Pepple and mother to Alvin. She is a woman that loves the

happiness of her child, a very caring mother.

Coach

Coach is the choreographer of Alvin dance group in school, who helps Alvin to get

his heart desire.

Thought of the Play

Thought includes the theme, argument and overall meaning of the action. It is

present in all plays because a playwright cannot avoid expressing some attitudes,

event and characterization always imply some view of human behavior. Thought

may also be use to unify a play dramatic action.

Meaning in drama it is usually implied rather than stated direction. It is

suggested by the relationship among characters; the idea associated with

unsympathetic and sympathetic characters; the confliction and their resolution; and

such developed as spectacle, music and song (46).

The thought of this work is to eradicate the idea that parents are to choose career

for their children, Instead parents are to guide their children's career choice what

eve it is as long as it is a career choice. This work hinged on the background of a

wealthy family, because people feel that it is only in the poor families that such

happens. The under tune thought is to make parents and the society at large know

that there is more to dancing then mere entertainment, it can bring fortune to

anybody who practices it.

Language/diction

Language is the playwrights' primary means of expression. When a play is

performed other expressive means like music, sound effect, spectacle etc may be

added; but to convey intention to others, the dramatic depends almost entirely on

dialogue and stage direction. Thus language/diction is the playwright's primary tool

(; 47). The language in play is a simply language.

Music / Song

The sound of the dialog, etc. musicality, rhythm, pace, etc. helps establish mood,

characterize, and lend variety, pleasurable (Wikipedia).

Music as we ordinary understand the term does not occur in every play. But if

the term is extended to in include all patterned sound, it is an important ingredient

in every production, except those wholly silent (43). Music plays an integral role in

a performance, it creates mood and reveals the motives of the dancer or the subject.

In this work various music and sound track are used to express the actually

intention of the choreographer. When music plays dance follows, both are

organized within rhythm. This is why for the progress of the study this music and
sound track are use to cut across the intended message. The music’s in the dance

are:

1. Dance tonight electronic pop dance beat

2. Awesome violin beat

3: Hard hip pop rap instrument beat

4: Hard Aggressive rap beat

5. Enya- may it be

6. Michael Jackson- thriller

7. Pink- try

8. 2face- no shaking

9. Oritse Femi- ogaba larami

Spectacle

Everything that is seen or heard on stage Actors, sets, costumes, lights and sound.

It is encompasses all visual elements of a production: the movement and spatial

relationship of it (; 42).

Costume

According to English learners Dictionary, Costume is a style of dress, including

garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular

country, period or people an outfit or a disguise worn as fancy dress etc, or a set of

clothes appropriate for a particular occasion or season.

The costume for the lead dancer/actor is a black plan trouser; write long sleeved

shirt, black shoe, and black tie. For the other four dancers, they will put on plan

trousers and shirts but their costumes will be in a form of a rag.

Makeup
Theatrical makeup is makeup that is used to assist in creating the appearance of the

characters that actors portray during a theater production (Wikipedia). For the

purpose of this study, fantasy make will be more emphatic. Fantasy makeup allows

a full range of creativity, whether you wear a subtle fantasy look or you go all out

in a detailed display.

Set

This is the representation consisting of scenery and other properties used to

identify the location of a dramatic production.

Dance Movement/Formation

Movement One

Movement Two

Movement Three

Movement Four
Movement Five

Movement Six

Movement Seven

Movement Eight

Rehearsal

The process of the rehearsal was not as plaid. I known it will be tasking but not as

tasking and hectic as it was, especially when I am dance and acting as well, the

energy level. Truly I have seen dancers, but the ones I worked with are armature so

building them was not easy, as the saying goes "they is light at the end of the

tunnel". I achieved my aim God be the glory. If they are one thing I must commend

the dancers on was their punctuality. They are dedicated to my work and together

we will achieve my goal by the special graces of God. The timetable for the

rehearsal:

Date Event Time Venue

2/7/2017 First meeting with the dance and introduction to the project topic.

6pm The Art's theatre uniport ( crab)

4/7/2017 Introduction to the dance.6pm Institute of Arts and culture Uniport.

7/7/2017 The choreography of the first dance. 5pm The Art's theatre uniport

( crab)

9/7/2017 The choreography of the second dance. 6pm The Art's theatre

uniport ( crab)

11/7/2017 The choreography of the third dance. 4pm Institute of Arts and

culture uniport.

14/7/2017 Run through of the three dances choreographed 5pm Institute of

Arts and culture uniport.

16/7/2017 The choreography of the fourth dance.6pm The Art's theatre uniport

( crab)

18/7/2017 The choreography of the fifth dance. 5pm Institute of Arts and

culture uniport.

21/7/2017 The choreography of the sixth dance. 4pm Institute of Arts and

culture uniport.

23/7/2017 Run through of all the dances choreographed. 6pm The Art's

theatre uniport ( crab)

25/7/2017 The choreography of the final dance, the seventh dance. 6pm The

Art's theatre uniport ( crab)

27/7/2017 Run through and proper formation 5pm The Art's theatre uniport

( crab)
28/7/2017 Personal rehearsal 3pm Institute of Arts and culture uniport.

29/7/2017 Personal rehearsal 11am The Art's theatre uniport ( crab)

30/7/2017 Personal rehearsal 2pm Institute of Arts and culture uniport.

2/8/2017 Total run through ( technical rehearsal) 6pm The Art's theatre

uniport ( crab)

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION

5.1 Summary of the Study

The researcher’s concern has been to compute findings on career choice

interference, and to express the outcome of parental interference in the career

choice of a child as a dancer through a monologue titled “Mad Dance” which goes

true the medium of acting to transport the aim of the study to the society. To enrich

the work, an introduction to the study was given, followed by review of dance,

choreography by various dance theorists and Donald Super career choice

development theory. The next step has been a the historical origin of dance,

various forms and types of dance, Dance as a means of career choice including the

social relevance of the study, after which the dramatic elements in the

performance, synopsis, dance movement and the process were discussed. In the

course of this study, a number of challenges surfaced and this research has helped

to proffer some recommendations.

5.2 Conclusion

Theatre is a practical reflection of the human society and this research has revealed

that dance is an integral part of the people’s culture. Therefore, if theatre reflects

the society, it should reflect it in its totality and never neglect any part of human

activities. The practice of theatre in Africa should help rejuvenate our culture

which is gradually going down the drain; the drum must be consciously played to

create a wake-up sound across Africa. Hence, this research clamors for

consciousness that should start in the theatre.

5.3 Recommendations

Putting this research together has exposed the researcher to how parents (the

society) views dance. Based on the findings of the study, the following

recommendations were made.

1. Significant career influencers such as friend, parents, and members of the

community and media personnel need to be equipped with correct career

information for them to guide children appropriately.

2. Parents should provide their children with experiences that expand the

exploration process and a wide range of career information on all the available

careers so that they can explore widely before making their choices. In this case,

after initial career decisions have been made, parents or guardians can continue to

encourage successful career development by identifying sources of psychosocial

support available to their children.

3. Dance should be a regular activity and designed programmes in schools to

accommodate all classes of people so the Art form will be promoted.

4. Dance should be encouraged and appreciated in the society by parents and

guardians etc; no matter it forms and types because it plays a vital role not only for

the dancer but to the society in various ways.

5. There is more to dance than just traditional dance, thou every place has its

tradition, but it does not mean that dance just traditional based, therefore

institutions should try and explore other forms and types of dance like

modern/contemporary dance, ballet dance, jazz dance, Hip hop etc.

6. More dance courses should be integrated to the school curriculum with this

people will show interest and parents will see need for allowing their children to

study dance in school.

7. Dancer and people who have passion for dance should not make dance look like

a career for mad people buy the way they are dressed and hairs are made. Being a

dancer does not mean you cannot dress well, respect the job so people will respect

it.
The following are careers in dance;

8. Become a dance teacher

This is perhaps one of the most popular career choices for dancers. You can teach

at a studio, in a public school system with the proper qualifications, or a college

dance program with a Master’s degree. Being a dance teacher allows you to remain

active physically while sharing your knowledge with others. You can also remain

creative through choreographing routines for class and performances regularly. It

helps to know which age group you want to teach, as some will require extra

training or college degrees. This is a great option that helps extend the longevity of

a dance career. Without dance teachers, the field of dance as we know it today

would not exist!

⦁ Choreography

Search out grant programs in your city to fund your work. Contact local theater

groups who may be interested in hiring a choreographer for their plays or musicals.

Seek out large scale entertainment companies who may need a choreographer for

corporate or commercial work. Start your own dance company and forge a new,

creative path!

10. Become a yoga or Pilates instructor

Yoga and Pilates are not only great conditioning supplements for dancers, but they

also make wonderful second careers and additional income to full-time dancers.

The language of dance crosses over well into these fields. The breadth of

kinesthetic knowledge from dance training translates effectively when teaching

these mind-body techniques. There are several types of trainings you can take to

teach either field, ranging from 200-500 hour yoga teacher training; Pilates mat
training, to full Pilate’s apparatus training. Most gyms and studios will require this

in-depth training in order to teach. In addition to teaching at such facilities, you can

also teach private lessons or at corporate offices. These are great career choices for

dancers who either wish to continue to dance.

⦁ Become a dance photographer or videographer

As a dancer, you have p1robably been on the other side of the lens many times.

You already have an awareness of movement when you take the leap into the

photography world, giving you an edge to predict great photo moments or video

framing. It could even lead to a bigger career in photography. Dancers and

choreographers often have a great eye for creating imagery after all; dance is

essentially creating images with our bodies.

⦁ Costume or clothing designer

As a dancer, you have been surrounded by costumes either your entire life or your

entire career. You also know what feels good to practice in. With this advantage,

you can create costumes, dance wear, or clothing that is designed to be moved in or

move well with the body learning to sew and create your own costumes could lead

to working in the costume department of a dance company. If you are passionate

about designing your own gear, you could even start your own line. The internet

has paved the way for a booming self-employment market, with marketplaces such

as easy and independent online storefronts powered by PayPal or Shoplift.

⦁ Become a dance therapist

We know our bodies very well so if you have had extensive training, such as

going through a college degree program, you probably have a wide range of
anatomy and kinesiology knowledge. Injuries in dance are common, and you may

have even experienced some yourself and gone through physical therapy. Even if

you just have the curiosity, this can be an excellent and lucrative field for a dancer

to enter. The ability to relate to a dancer and understand the dancer’s body as a

dance therapist will give you an advantage that is hard to beat. These are just a few

ideas to get you started on how you can either extend your dance career. When

searching for new jobs, be sure to think about all of the great things dance has

provided you, such as discipline, punctuality, dedication, creativity, kinesthetic

awareness, and more. Know that your drive to succeed does not have to stop with

dance, but you can take these many wonderful qualities to open new doors, build

new bridges, and have a successful and happy life, no matter what you do

(nyfa.edu).

Works Cited

Bakare, Ojo Rasaki. Rudiment of choreography: \Space 2000, Pace publisher

limited zana, 1994. 17 Battery Place, New York, NY 10004 United States
 Bello, Peter Adeiza. Dance Practice and the Choreographer's Creative Role

through Bakare, Ojo R asaki's View lens. SPM Publication, London: United

Kingdom. 2015

Chris, Nwamuo. Fundamentals of dance: AP publication, 16 Eni-Njoku street,

OwerriOwerri, 1993.

8 Dance Related Careers To Pursue After Dance Life

Ogolo, Chris. Introduction to Dance choreography: New Era production, Ughelli,

Benin city, 1998.

Onuora O. Enekwe. Theories of dance in Nigeria: Afa press, Nsukka, 1991.

Hornby A. Oxford advanced learners “ dictionary 8th ed. New York.

Oxford University press, 2015.

Websites

Copyright © 2015 New York Film Academy

Career – Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org

Fine Arts Career Services • The University of Texas at Austin • DFA 1.103

http://www.utexas.edu/fnearts/careers[512] 232-7333

History of dance - Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org

https://entertainment.naij.com/719108-galala-shoki-10-popular-dance-moves-

nigerians-rock-parties.html Articles about Careers - Study.com

info@phecanada.ca

etc. http://stomponline.com

The historical origin of dance

shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/.../06

Www. Encyclopedia. com

APPENDIX

Interview Session with Mr. Adedayo Liadi aka Ijodee on the 13th, July 2017 at

Blueprint dance school, Elelenwo port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Kelvin: Sir what do you have to say about career choice interference?

IJODEE: OK career choice interference that is your topic?

Kelvin: Yes Sir

IJODE: I think in my life I was highly interfered ha...ha...ha by my parents and

family I think the only person that believed in me was I ha...ha... I was very young
when I started dancing professionally that was in secondary school. My mother did

not say know entirely but since my father say no she has to join him. But I thank

God for helping me not to abandon my career as my family wanted. I have been

through a lot of difficulties, but today I am a successful dance director,

choreographer, instructor, producer and also a consultant. I was a very good boy, I

listen to my parent but not when it comes to my career. I notice that I could not go

further because I need the support of my parents I had to beg, and beg and beg my

father to allow me, I met some oldest in my family to help me beg, because

dancing was very important to me. But to God be the Glory I had a scholarship in

1993.

Today by the Grace of God I have been to 67 countries round the world as a dance

Artist. But if I had listen and follow the wishes of my parents I would not have

become what I am today, I have commissioners, senators and governors as friends,

they give me jobs around the world. The interference by my parents almost made

me not to dance but I decided to follow my career, my passion for dance gives me

joy.

Kelvin: OK sir, I have two questions for you. One, what are the opportunities left

for dancers, for does who want to study dance as a career?

IJODEE: One thing we need to know that dancers in Nigeria are always in a hurry,

they want to make it fast like they normally say they want to blow, they want to

blow. Blowing takes time I said to them, everybody that has made it as an artist

today they went through hell, they went through many difficulties, these

difficulties is what has made them today. Go and ask 2face if it was easy, ask

Davido, even if his family was very rich, people have to go and beg his father In

order for him to agree, the father says he will not allow Davido to be a bad boy
because parents always feels that when you become an artist you are going to be a

bad person, smoking, drinking and all that. These things happen in other

profession's it is because we are the mirror of the society that is why they always

say such things to us.

So I will say that they are so many big opportunities for artist generally around the

world, you need to know what your profession entries, the moment you what it

entire then you should be able to work towards it and you need to be humble work

towards it, you have to believe in yourself and work hard. Don't do what

everybody is doing, when people are taking left see a reason for taking right, create

something with the right that will make people won't to follow you.

Kelvin: So sir, what will you say to parents who interfere in their children career

choice as dancers?

IJODEE: First of all I will not blame any parents who is interfering in their

children's career, because they need the best for the children and they want to make

sure they have a good life, good family, good future and it is because they are not

sure, they have not seen one or two persons that has made it out of dance.

But these days I think they are so many examples of people who had made it, who

are making it as a dancers and actors you know. So I think parents should try and

in charge their children, all they need from them is prayers, direction and that

direction is not to stop them from what they love doing the most, what gives them

joy, because we all are born on earth with different destines and they should please

support the passion of their children.

Kelvin: Thank you sir, lastly, in conclusion what is your stand to dancing?
IJODEE: Dance educates, dance is a career, dance enlightens, dance explains,

dance unifies, dance improves life, dance is the mother of all Art, it is a language

everybody understand.

Kelvin: Thank you very much for your time sir.

IJODE: Is OK.