Book Description

Umfundalai, a Kiswahili word meaning "essence" or "essential", is now also the name of an innovative dance technique discovered and developed by the author of this book to enable anyone to perform traditional African dances. In 1970-71, as an eager young student, the author set about organizing the complex multiplicity of rhythms and movements displayed in the various traditional dances still practiced in rural villages throughout the continent of Africa. In the process, she isolated the elements essential to all African dances: the circle (the earliest form of dance, symbol of the unified whole); repetition (a necessary extension of rhythm); rattling and ululation (natural accompaniments of rhythm). She also discovered their wider, social and political symbolism; the unique power inherent in rhythm; the responsibilities inherent in leadership and control; and the political and moral standards inherent in human society. Then, after a crucial, challenging encounter with a master teacher of dance, she delved deeply into the histories, the arts, and the philosophies of successive African civilizations-Pharaonic, Sudanese, Colonial, Diasporic, Post-Colonial, Pre-Independent, and Independent. Now, from the crucible of time and one woman's personal voyage of discovery, there has emerged not only a fresh and vibrant vehicle for the self-expression of a people, but also a powerful political and moral instrument of immense contemporary impact. Umfundalai not only mirrors the rich and variegated African dance aesthetic...it not only incarnates a wealth of African history, philosophy, and art...it actually serves and empowers the dancer, the artist, and the audience by invoking the communal powerof African dance to stimulate political and social action. More than a technique, Umfundalai is an organic and exhilarating series of rhythms, movements, and sounds that affirms life's passages (birth, marriage, death, rebirth, etc.), celebrates a holistic system of beliefs and values, and salutes the universal and unifying life force that is Africa's most precious resource.