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Africans
brought as slaves to North America arrived without possessions,
but not without culture. The fascinating elements
of African life manifested themselves richly in the
New World, and among the most lasting
and influential of these was the art of African
dance.
This generously illustrated exploration of African
American dance history follows the dynamics
of the dance forms throughout each generation. Chapter
1 provides introductory information about the African
continent and the heritage that spawned African American
dance. Following is a discussion of the discrimination
and marginalization endured by African Americans,
and the fortitude with which the dance survived and
became increasingly important in American culture.
Remaining chapters
outline ten major characteristics that have consistently
marked African American dance, and
describe the various styles of black vernacular
dance that became popular in America-the Ring
Shout, Buzzard Lope, Cakewalk,
Shimmy,Charleston,
Black Bottom,Big Apple,Lindy
Hop, and more. Chapter 8 concludes with a discussion
of African dance at the end of the twentieth
century and its important role in the flowering
of African American arts.
This work traces the
history of the university in western
culture from its origins in medieval Europe to its evolution
in America with a focus on events and circumstances
that made possible the inclusion of dance
as an academic discipline. | 
