What is West African Dance?

Series Summary

West African dance is often used to express the inner feelings of joy or sorrow of the dancer or community. The drum is almost always used in West African dance, with drum beats used as the heartbeat of the people. Using the whole body is also very common in West African dance so that several rhythms are developed and shown. Because of the community spirit of African dances, the audience will often participate with the performers.

In this free video series, our expert dance instructor will teach you how to do West African dances. You will learn a series of footwork exercises and arm movements. You will also learn different rhythms of dance and basic movements to move around the floor. Get tips on accentuating the arms and neck movements, as well as information on West African dance costumes and head ties. If you are interested in West African dances or African dancing in general, let our expert show you everything you need to know to create a beautiful dance.

Video Transcript

"In this clip, we're going to talk about the introduction of West African dance. West African dance, traditionally, has pulled its movement from everyday life. The movement of breaking down the wheat. The movement of casting out nets. Of imitating animals. In African dance, we use all of these types of gestures to tell a story or just to celebrate life. Because West African dance has a lot of diversity, depending on what location you're in, you might find an emphasis on hand gestures, you might find some very fast footwork or you could find serious isolation of the hips and torso. Also, lyrical arms are also found in various West African dance styles. So, when we get to do some more, I will show you how."