Dances From the Other Coast of Africa - Umkhathi Theatre Works Group

For years Black people protested and requested that the nation's schools include courses relevant to Black people and their contributions to the development of the United States. I was involved in these protests. After the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 the nation's schools were mandated to include courses on Black and Minority studies within the curriculum. This mandate sent department heads scurrying to find courses to include within their departments or risk the loss of federal funding.

I entered college to study how to write dance on paper. I had my own system of notating percussion instruments. As a student, I focused on African music and dance that involved myself and other students in performances of these African-based dances. When I was questioned about possible courses, I suggested African dance and music. Because of my experience in this area, I became the first person to teach traditional African dance and music in Brooklyn College in 1969. As a new teacher I knew that I had to go to Africa to hone my skills, learn new dances, music and cultural practices. I began my journey in East Africa. I studied the music and dances; and learned to play the instruments. I also lived among the people in their habitat. I found that the schools in several East African nations did not include courses on African dance in their curriculum. When I questioned this, I was advised to go to West Africa because the schools in East Africa were not set up or as advanced as the schools in West Africa for the study of percussion instruments and dance. I spent two seasons in East Africa before conducting research in West Africa.

Throughout my time in East Africa I gleaned that the people had developed melodics to the nth degree and often accompanied their dances with their voices as the main accompaniment. The Masai was one group that used their voice to accompany their dances. In May 2013, a group of musicians and dancers from Zimbabwe were the featured guest artists at Dance Africa at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The UMKHATHI Theatre Works Company from Zimbabwe was a welcomed group of performers to appear in celebration of the 36th year of Dance Africa.

Essentially Zimbabwe belongs to the East Coast dance region of Africa, but it is also close to the South African dance region. Therefore, it has characteristics of both the East Coast and South African dance regions. As a person who began her studies of African dance in East Africa, I am privy to a number of dancing styles that are not commonly seen outside the traditional regions. The countries that composed East Africa were primarily three, namely Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The three were grouped as the University of East Africa. On July 1, 1970 they separated and became independent countries, creating separate universities such as the University of Nairobi, Kenya; the University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania; and Makerere University of Uganda. In 1970 traditional African music was not included in the schools of Tanzania or Uganda, but was included in the University of Nairobi, Kenya on a small scale. Traditional African dances were not addressed in the colleges and universities at all. In all probability the colonizers, who used their knowledge of music as the foundation, established the curriculum. As their knowledge is founded in melody, and not the percussive elements of African music, the melodic elements prevailed. Although there are groups in East Africa from Uganda down to Zimbabwe who use drums, there are a large number of groups along the Eastern Coast of Africa who do not use instruments to accompany their dances, but use their voices as musical accompaniment. The UMKHATHI Company also uses their voices, in four-part harmony, to accompany their dances.

The Company is relatively new as it was created in 1997. There is no doubt in my mind that by 1997 the Djembe drum had invaded the borders of Zimbabwe. I am thankful that the musicians did not play this drum as part of their Dance Africa presentation.

Characteristics of the dances of the Company were the hip movements (not the pelvic contractions) commonly seen in dances of West Africa. Also characteristic is the quick foot movements. Notice that they wore ankle rattles (secondary rattles) that are moved to the music of the ensemble. As a notator I was trying to figure out the time signature of the selection when I observed the Ingungu drummer on stage right, clap out the rhythm. Much to my chagrin, it was the “Kon-Ko-Lo” rhythm given the name by Nigerians. The “Kon-Ko-Lo” rhythm bears the 12/8 time signature and is one of the most popular rhythms used throughout the continent of Africa. The Ingungu drummer was essentially playing the same rhythm that the Kagan drummer in the Ewe ensemble of Ghana plays. The rattle (Hosho rattle) plays the same pattern as the Ingungu drummer, which mainly keeps the time while the other Ingungu drummer executes rhythms with the player of the Tonga drums. In my observations of traditional dance ensembles on the East Coast of Africa, I see that they use fewer instruments in their ensembles than those of West African ensembles. I have not observed any iron bells in East African ensembles. A silver whistle is used in a number of East African ensembles and countries. One movement that characterizes dances from Zimbabwe and South Africa is the classic “stamping ' of the foot against the floor.

My first contact with dances of this type dates back to my early research of more than fifty years ago. The libraries here were absent of materials on traditional African dance but I was able to connect to the International Library of African Music in South Africa. They published a book entitled African Dances of the Witwatersrand Gold Mines. This book is essentially about the dances that the men who worked in the mines performed to entertain themselves. There are also recordings that correspond to these dances. There were only male dancers, as women did not work in the mines of South Africa. In this book the dances were classified by the action seen so we have categories such as “ stepping”, “striding” and “stamping”. The Shangaan people of South Africa call the classic striking the foot against the ground “Kutshongolo”. “Ndlamu” is the name of another stamping dance performed in the mines. The Ndebele people of Zimbabwe call this classic stamping of the foot against the ground Ukuganda. The stamping of the foot can produce intricate rhythmic patterns.

The cast of the UMKHATHI featured six ladies who danced and sang. I do not know if ladies play instruments in Zimbabwe. But these ladies did not play instruments in the performances. The female dancers were Faith Moyo, Ayanda Mpofu, Caroline Mangwiro, Qeqeshiwe Mntambo, Memory Muzondo, Nodumo "Nana" Sibanda .

The males of the Company played instruments, sang and danced. They were:

Maqawe Moyo, Hebson C. Ncube, Fidelis Tshuma, Linos Sibanda, Webson Zenda, Amos Kazembe, Martin B. Khumalo, Mehluli Dube, Nigel Mzingaye Ndlela

In Dance Africa, the Umkhathi Theatre Works group performed different selections the first weekend of May 19th than they performed on the second weekend of May 24-27. On May 19th they performed Isitshikitsha, a dance of the Ndebele people who migrated from South Africa. This dance is performed at social gatherings. They graced the stage under lowered lighting that cast them as silhouettes. Some dancers straddled the back of another dancer as they paraded across the stage singing in four-part harmony.

On May 24-27 they performed Setapa a dance that originated in Botswana that was performed at weddings. They were attired in brown leather shorts. They wore sandals on their feet, which cushioned the impact of the stamping action. The striking of the foot against the floor was pivotal in this dance. As exciting as the stamping of the foot against the floor was the use of the hips to strike the floor in different poses. The men excelled in this dance with different hip poses. This type of movement is not common among dances of West Africa, but can be seen in dances of the people of Mozambique.

They also performed “Chinyambera” which is a hunting gathering dance. The ladies of the group show their fruit gathering skills and at one time you can see them take a substance (bitter herb) from their breast and spread it around. Each of their selections was interspersed with musical interludes of singing, clapping, ululation and whistling.

I reiterate that some ethnic groups of Zimbabwe and Mozambique migrated from South Africa so these regions share the same type of movements.

The Umkhathi Theatre Works Company was indeed a welcomed addition to the performing stage of BAM, as the dynamism seen in this group has not been seen since the National Ballet of Senegal who appeared in 1971 as part of the Afro-Asian Festival.

This company well represented dances of the other coast of Africa. It was a job well done. Congratulations to their director Matesu Dube for a job well done.