Name Withheld
April 17, 2010
BWS paper
I really enjoyed the lecture given last week by Tammy Brown. Afrocentricity was something I wasn't too familiar with before the lecture but I enjoyed her interpretation and examples that she gave. It was interesting how she incorporated Gumboot dancing into her lecture, and gave it as an example of Afrocentricity. We're all familiar with Gumboot dancing since the last lecture given by Eric Aikens two weeks ago. Her example of Gumboot dancing enabled me to better understand Afrocentricity and have a better grasp for the meanings ad other examples.
I related a lot to her examples of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is a place or person that exhibits qualities of several different cultures. I related this to my experience abroad. I had a job last summer in Barcelona, I lived there for 3 months and really tried to experience as much of their culture as possible. My work schedule revolve around their "siesta". I worked from 9-2 and then we had lunch and got to relax until 5 and then we would go back to work from 5-7. I related my experience in Barcelona with the multiculturalism that Tammy was talking about in her lecture.
I liked hearing about Katherine Dunham and the Dunham effect. It was interesting to hear about this type of cultural dance, especially since we've just recently learned about Gumboot and step dancing. Katherine Dunham introduced the way of dancing where you move each body part separately from the other. It was interesting to hear that some of her dancing seemed a little controversial. She did keep authentic elements in her dancing but many people thought it was too "sexy". The New York times actually thought her dancing was incredibly vulgar. The critics, who were mostly white, seemed to be confused when they were evaluating the dance. They praised the creativity but criticized the culture from which the dance form came from. It was obvious that the critics were contradicting themselves. I thought it was great how Katherine took risks and wasn't afraid to push the envelope with her dancing.
Overall, I really enjoyed the lecture given by Tammy Brown. I especially liked it after we heard about Gumboot dancing, two weeks ago. Learning about authentic, cultural dance and where it comes from is something very fascinating to me. I enjoyed both lectures equally, and learned different things from both. It's interesting to see cultural dance moves show up in the modern dancing today.
Name Withheld
BWS 265
17 April 2010
This weeks’ lecture by Professor Tammy L. Brown turned out to be extremely thought provoking and interesting to me. But I expected nothing short of excellence having had a course as well as maintaining a relatively close mentor relationship with Dr. T. It is as though wherever she is, Dr. T. exudes this confidence and pride in every stride she takes. She is an extremely knowledgeable woman in her field of study, not to mention artistic abilities. I admire mostly her rooted connectedness to facts and history of the Motherland and African Diaspora as it relates to past, present, as well as the future. This was clearly exhibited in her lecture to our class this past Monday, as the topic of discussion was geared towards ‘Afrocentricity’, ‘Multiculturalism’ and their relation to legendary dancers and choreographers Pearl Primus and Katherine Dunham.
Both outstanding and distinguished women of grace in their own right, Primus and Dunham embraced a distinct sense of authenticity lacking within African American dance art culture. Afrocentricity firstly, makes reference to how essentially an individual relates back to their African roots and how that aids them in identifying and defining themselves. Multiculturalism on the other hand is the diverse blend of cultures. Both are interconnected as well as cross-listed, related. These women saw African dance as beauty in every right and worked diligently in revitalizing not only typical African American dance, but perception as well.
Dr. T. discussed with us the specifics of Pearl Primus’ journey to Caribbean islands as a means of extracting the distinct rhythmic movements of the natives. The body part isolations were what Primus gravitated towards the most. Upon her return to the States, Primus worked tirelessly essentially formulating an entirely new style of dance and performance as it relates to African Americans of this era. To better understand the vitality of this one has to come to a clear understanding of what it meant to be in black arts at this time. With ‘black face’ being relevant, there was little to no room available for African Americans to be portrayed as anything more than ‘coons’. Any type of expression outside of this was uncommon and not even accepted.
I whole-heartedly feel that were it not for choreographic greats such as Primus and Dunham the beautiful expression of the Afrocentric abilities of our ancestors would have never been displayed to the West. I honestly believe that the African American community in its entirety was tired of being portrayed in such a manner that led these women to go beyond and bring back the rich culture that would exhibit them as something greater. Dr. T. talked about the continuous reference to Egypt that Afrocentrics tend to make. The acknowledgment of an era that upheld people of color as kings, queens, and innovators bolstered an opulent history as opposed to the submissive and subservient view placed upon by the white counterpart.
I am a firm believer in Afrocentricity and the impact it can have in uplifting the black community. There is an importance in reviving the richness of the black culture. We were indeed kings and queens and should never forget that nor should we cease acting as such.
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Name Withheld
4/18/10
BWS265
Afrocentricity and Art
Tammy Brown’s lecture this week on Afrocentricity and the art of dance presented different elements of African American culture, and I enjoyed learning about the careers of both Katherine Dunham and Pearl Primus. Afrocentricity was explained to us as understanding the world in terms of African culture, history and values at the center of life, and this was a concept that was very powerful during the 1960’s especially throughout the movement of Black Power and in identity politics in general. Elements of Afrocentricity are seen in the work of many current artists and political figures, and it’s fascinating that this concept is also linked to ancient Egyptian culture and the historical intellectual and scientific accomplishments of African Americans in Egypt.
One aspect of the lecture that I thought was really interesting was the video that we watched explaining the history of female dancers, and they discussed the different ways artists adapt the dancing techniques from other cultures and incorporate them into their own style. In Martinique, the male slaves there were not allowed to use any weapons, so they created a fighting dance that was actually martial arts disguised in the form of dance. Katherine Dunham studied these moves and the moves of other cultures and brought these ideas back to her dance troupes, and members of the Nigerian culture even gave her the title of “Omuwale”, or “daughter returned home”. This name symbolized the way in which the Nigerian people perceived her has a part of their extended family, and they viewed her as taking part in a pilgrimage to recapture the culture that they had previously lost. One student posed the question of whether or not the different cultures welcomed her presence into their native lands, and I think this would be a really interesting topic to study further.
I enjoyed Dr. Brown’s use of media to engage us throughout her lecture, and I especially enjoyed the comparison she made between Erykah Badu’s music video and how it would have been perceived by female dancers and artists in previous decades. I think it is important to link historical concepts to their current applications, and the notion of Afrocentricity is something that can definitely be seen in many areas of our present society.
for more of my work please go to:
http://www.redroom.com/author/rodney-d-coates
The man who has no imagination has no wings.
Muhammad Ali
Rodney D. Coates
Professor
-----Original Message-----
From: Brown, Tammy Lynn Dr.
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 5:10 PM
To: Coates, Rodney D. Dr.
Subject: RE: Penny Lecture Series papers?
Wow, thanks for the prompt response!!!
My P&T committee is meeting this week; so, I'm would like to add a student essay regarding my Shirley Chisholm presentation last year, if possible. Do you happen to have any of the Chisholm papers at your fingertips to send?
Thanks again; I REALLY appreciate it!
Tammy
***********************************
Tammy L. Brown, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Black World Studies Program and Department of History
120 McMillan Hall
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
________________________________________
From: Coates, Rodney D. Dr.
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 5:09 PM
To: Brown, Tammy Lynn Dr.
Subject: RE: Penny Lecture Series papers?
I am reviewing them right now..hang tight a few minutes...aight /..;//and I will be back atcha..
for more of my work please go to:
http://www.redroom.com/author/rodney-d-coates
The man who has no imagination has no wings.
Muhammad Ali
Rodney D. Coates
Professor
-----Original Message-----
From: Brown, Tammy Lynn Dr.
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 5:09 PM
To: Coates, Rodney D. Dr.
Subject: Penny Lecture Series papers?
Dear Rodney,
Hello. I hope you're well and that you're enjoying this sunny day. I'm writing to ask if it might be possible to e-mail a few examples of student essays regarding my presentation on choreographer and dancer Pearl Primus this year and politician Shirley Chisholm from the Penny Lecture Series 2009? I really would like to hear what the students learned!
Thanks, and I look forward to your response,
Tammy
***********************************
Tammy L. Brown, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Black World Studies Program and Department of History
120 McMillan Hall
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
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