African dance is very different from traditional Western dance (no "Walter Schalk" moves here), and so it is a bit hard to explain. It is very expressive form of dance that involves the whole body from hand gestures to crazy hip shaking to little taps of the toe. It was a warm night, and these dancers were putting 110% of their energy into each performance in a small auditorium with no air conditioning! It was a labor or love, and their passion was electric.
Yoko and I were there to support Eleanor, a Rotary Scholar studying traditional West African dance at the University. Her performance broke from the theme because it was not Ghanaian. Instead it was something she introduced to the group and represented her Trinidadian heritage - and I believe she learned this dance during her Fulbright year studying in Trinidad! The dance was called "Pique" and the program described it as "a very flirtatious dance usually performed by a group of women trying to attract a man."
Eleanor dancing the "Pique"
Eleanor wore a long skirt with two flaps that she held out in her hands as she shook her hips to lure her suitor! She was dancing with another student, Lesley, who is roommates with one of the Rotary Scholars, and they were having a dance-off for the affection of one of the male dancers - lucky him! The girls were using all kinds of moves in their dual for his attention, and the audience was cheering them on, hooting and calling out as they worked to steal him away! It was a lot of fun for everyone, and Eleanor did a beautiful job - even though she lost the man in the end!!
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