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Similarities of African Dances versus African American Dances

The immigration of Africans thousands of years ago highlights the impacts they have enacted on other continents soil, especially on their traditions. Through their interactions with other people globally, their contribution is significant toward the modern culture. Colonization throughout the 15th and early 19th century were also a major factor toward Africans interactions with other people of the world, including the Europeans and Americans. Through dances, many types and styles of dancing in America is borrowed from Africans following their interaction decades ago to date. Additionally, the interaction of Africans and the Americans has significantly influenced what today is known as modern dance and other forms of dances. The essay, in this case, focuses on the similarities of the African dances and the African American dances.

As noted in many American dances such as break-dancing, stepping dance, twerking and other dances, one of the major common similarities with the African dances, is the style of dancing that includes body movements and shaking of rear parts of the body. In comparison to the African dances, the Africa American dances are involved vigorous physical shaking of the body that is similar to African dances, such as dances by the Zulu in parts of South Africa.

Another similarities can observed through the use of accompaniment such as sounds is common among all dances. Many of the dances by the African and African American tend be accompanied by sounds for people to dance. Simultaneously, the use sound in many of this dance is extensively achieved by either the use of instrument, playing music or by making sounds through mouth or by use of legs to hit the ground, to produce sounds. Another core similarity is the involvement of at least one or two people in dances. Occasionally, dances are performed in social places, as way of socializing, many youths and old people are involved dances as they can express their feeling physically in dances towards other people or just do it for fun.

Conclusion

The influence of African dance is virtually visible in many of the Africa American dances. Through history, traces of African migration to another continent such as the America have significantly influenced most African American dances, although both dances in comparison to the African dances have some similarities.