Berkeley University of California African Dance Writeup Discussion
Please read the attached article and chapter, and answer the following nine (9) questions.
Restate and number the questions. Answer with complete sentences and be as thorough as possible.
An Aesthetic of the Cool.pdf (page 41)
1. Discuss how the following statements from Thompson’s An Aesthetic of the Cool relate to the concept of controlled relaxation in African dance as experienced in this course, and the “I got this” performative attitude in African American social dances, hip hop in particular.
“The telling point is that the ‘mask’ of coolness is worn no only in time of stress but also of pleasure,, in fields of expressive performance and the dance.”
“Manifest within the philosophy of the cool is the belief that the purer, the cooler a person becomes, the more ancestral he becomes. In other words, mastery of self enables a person to transcend time and elude preoccupation.”
1. Where is Mandiani from and what ethnic group dances it?
2. Why is Mandiani danced according to the master dancers/instructors interviewed?
3. What is the importance of Mandiani in African American communities?
4. Who is Babatunde Olatunji and why is he significant?
5. How does age influence how Mandiani is danced?
6. How does gender play out in Mandiani?
7. What techniques, skills, or steps do you recognize from class in this chapter of Sunkett’s Mandiani Drum and Dance?
