"I Don't Want to Do African . . . What about My Technique?:" Transforming Dancing Places into Spaces in the Academy

Monroe, Raquel L., The Journal of Pan African Studies (Online)

Abstract: Building off of the work of dance scholar Brenda Dixon Gottschild, the author argues that the American dancing body is a fusion of West African, ballet, and modern dance techniques. Yet, curricula in collegiate dance departments throughout the U.S. reduce West African dance and dances from the African Diaspora to electives, while modern dance and ballet are regarded as foundational. This article theorizes how the delegation of modern dance and ballet as the proper "techniques" for training dancers in the academy invoke de Certeau's notion of "place" and "space," and reifies racist constructions of the black dancing body.

Keywords: Dance, Technique, West African, Modern …

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Publication information: Article title: "I Don't Want to Do African . . . What about My Technique?:" Transforming Dancing Places into Spaces in the Academy. Contributors: Monroe, Raquel L. - Author. Journal title: The Journal of Pan African Studies (Online). Volume: 4. Issue: 6 Publication date: September 2011. Page number: 38+. © Itabari Zulu Dec 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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