African Dance
Although I have been interested in African dance music for a long time, the actual dancing is something I never saw until recently. I certainly hadn’t had the chance to try it out. I have liked African drumming since I was very little. I remember watching my older brother at drum circles when he was in college, and thinking how cool it looked. I wanted to bang on the djembe like him when I got older. It wasn’t strictly speaking African music, but the stuff they played certainly was related to it. It used the same instruments and some basic rhythms taken from West African drumming.
As I grew older and started to get really serious about drum circles, I actually started hanging out with a lot of people who were African dance musicians. These folks were usually the best drummers their – them and the Afro-Cuban drummers. They would go and hang out at drum circles as a way to chill out and keep in practice between performances as well as an opportunity to network. Strangely enough, however, there were never any African dancers at the circles. Mostly, there were just hippies moving around in whatever way they felt like.
Recently, however, my girlfriend invited me to an authentic African dance jam. She is into a lot of folk dancing, and she thought we should go try this out together. It was West African dance – one of the most dynamic, energetic styles there is – and I was excited to see it. When I got there, my eyes lit up. The music was out of this world, and the dancers were absolutely gorgeous. They were athletic and active, and they were wearing costumes that were colorful and flowing. Everyone was so friendly and so into it that I couldn’t help but have a great time. I had never been much of a dancer before, but I resolved to get more Into it.
Since then, I have gone African dancing almost every Saturday. There is a regular dance jam about a quarter mile down the street from me, so it is very convenient. Most weeks I bring my girl along, but even when she can’t go, I try to get out there myself. It is such a great stress relief to really be able to move around, and having a traditional dance to do helps relieve the pressure to improvise. If you are looking for a good time and an alternative to the standard club scene, I highly recommend it.