Edited by Azizi Powell
This post presents videos of footstomping dance movement from various nations around the world.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT ADDING COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG
With considerable regret, I have disabled the comment feature on this blog (and on my other blogs except for https://pancocojams.blogspot.com, because of the large number of spam comments that I received on those blogs.
Comments for those blogs can be sent to my email address azizip17 dot com at yahoo dot com for possible inclusion in a specific post on those blogs.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in no particular order).
Example #1: Gumboot Dancers in Cape Town
simonleherUploaded on Jul 27, 2007
Filmed in Cape Town January 2007, these Gumboot Dancers were brilliant!
****
Example #2: 10th Pacific Festival of Arts - Fiji 2
jkb1904Uploaded on Apr 13, 2009
Dancers from Fiji at the 10th Pacific Festival of Arts in American Samoa, 2008.
****
Example #3: Mogwana Dance Troupe - Botswana
Rouvanne van den Berg, Uploaded on Feb 18, 2007
The Mogwana Dance Troupe is a group of professional artistes based in Gaborone, Botswana.
They specialise in traditional music, song and dance of indigenous ethnic groups of Botswana and the southern Africa in general.
This dance is commonly known as Phathisi, referring to the pieces of skin and rags tied to the legs which are slapped to sound like a drum. It is generally performed in happy times, such as at harvest, by herd-boys.
****
Example #4:
Alpha Kappa Alpha 1st Place Winners for Chicago Sprite Step Off [United States]
Gowhere Hip Hop, Uploaded on Jan 25, 2010
****
Example #5:
WSSU CHEERLEADERS GETTIN' CRUNK
ORIGINALCHEERPHI, Uploaded on Feb 22, 2008
WSSU CHEERLEADERS SHOWING U HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE AT THE ULTIMATE CHEER & DANCE EXPERIENCE TRIAD HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADING COMPETITION 2007
-snip-
WSSU = Winston Salem State University (North Carolina, USA)
****
RELATED LINKS
Click this link to a zumalayah post: http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/04/indlamu-dance-that-ladysmith-black.html
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos, to the producers of these videos, and to the video's publishers on YouTube.
Thanks for visiting zumalayah.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
The Venda Python Dance (information & videos)
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision- December 18, 2020
This Zumulayah post presents videos that suggest some similarities between the Venda (South African) female initiation dance known as the python dance and the very close contact processional formation used by some historically Black Greek lettered sororities' probate groups when those groups enter the performance area for their probate* show.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT ADDING COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG
With considerable regret, I have disabled the comment feature on this blog (and on my other blogs except for https://pancocojams.blogspot.com, because of the large number of spam comments that I received on those blogs.
Comments for those blogs can be sent to my email address azizip17 dot com at yahoo dot com for possible inclusion in a specific post on those blogs.
****
Traditionally, Black Greek lettered fraternities also appear to have a formation in which they stand close to the person in front of them and sing or chant. However, in the videos I've seen the men lock arms but don't rest their head on the back of the person standing in front of them, nor do they hold hands with the person in front of & behind them. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdgwjN11AyY "Zoom Zoom" (Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity) for an example of this type of close fraternity vertical line formation.
My guess is that the very close line formation symbolizes the group's unity. The ability to act as one body that is demonstrated by the group's synchronized movements may symbolizes the cohesiveness that was forged as a result of the individuals' experiences of becoming members of their group. Also, the group's moving forward with their eyes closed and/or with their heads resting on their sister's back and being led by one member may represents the group's trust in each other, and especially their trust in that lead sister. Furthermore, the group moving forward in spite of their tiredness highlights the importance of the goal and the value of perseverance to reach that goal..
It's possible that the Venda python dance also has those meanings in addition to the cultural meanings which were given in the above quote about that dance.
-snip-
This same post was originally published at
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/similarities-between-venda-python-dance_7.html .
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venda_people [hereafter given as Wikipedia- Venda]
"The Venda (VhaVenda or Vhangona) are a Southern African Bantu people living mostly near the South African-Zimbabwean border.
****
VIDEOS OF THE VENDA PYTHON DANCE (AT VENDA DOMBAS)
Video #1: Domba
bigbluemeanie, Uploaded on Nov 9, 2006
The famous Domba initiation dance of the Venda tribe of Southern Africa
-snip-
Here are two comments from this video's viewer comment thread:
filato22, 2010
you can say that again its more zululized than venda. proudly venda
-snip-
bigbluemeanie, 2012
..."Domba was the third and final phase in Venda girls' initiation, which should have been attended after a girl had been to vhusha and tshikanda. It took place every three to five years at the head-quarters of chiefs and certain senior headman, and lasted for about one year. Its importance to the Venda was marked by the use of the bass drum (ngoma), which was also used in tshikona, the Venda national dance. There were a number of special rites and shows associated with domba…
****
Video #2: UMOJA - The Spirit of Togetherness Part 2
Mrbobodigital, Uploaded on Mar 23, 2011
-snip-
The Domba dance is from 2:17 to 3:50 of this video.
The description of this dance given as a subtitle in this video is "initiation dance for young women when they reach womenhood".
****
Video #3: Domba La Africa
dombalaafrica, Uploaded on Feb 26, 2010
Traditional Dance Group based in Soweto. Founded by the Late Co-founder of the Soweto Gospel Choir and Musical Director David Mulovhedzi
-snip-
The Domba dance is performed in this video from .53 to 1:01 and the video ends with a still photograph of that dance.
****
Video #4: venda dance
nkosiafrika, Uploaded on May 13, 2010
great va venda mothers proudly dance @a wddng in soweto south africa
****
RELATED VIDEOS
Here are links to two other traditional Venda dances:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e-hSuDsDc0
Venda women perform Malende traditional dance
**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUVkQFhdp3Y
Tshikona traditional Venda dance
Note: These links aren't meant to imply that these are the only other traditional Venda dances.
****
Thanks for visiting Zumulayah.
Visitor commentsa are welcome.
Latest revision- December 18, 2020
This Zumulayah post presents videos that suggest some similarities between the Venda (South African) female initiation dance known as the python dance and the very close contact processional formation used by some historically Black Greek lettered sororities' probate groups when those groups enter the performance area for their probate* show.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Venda people of South Africa. Thanks to all the performers featured in these videos. Thanks also to the authors & commenters whose comments are featured in this post and thanks to the uploaders of the featured videos.
****
EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT ADDING COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG
With considerable regret, I have disabled the comment feature on this blog (and on my other blogs except for https://pancocojams.blogspot.com, because of the large number of spam comments that I received on those blogs.
Comments for those blogs can be sent to my email address azizip17 dot com at yahoo dot com for possible inclusion in a specific post on those blogs.
****
ZUMULAYAH'S EDITOR'S NOTE
This Zumulayah post is meant to point out the similarities in these historically Black Greek letter sorority vertical line formations, and not to assert that the Venda dance was the source for this type of probate processional formation. That said, I believe that it's quite possible that the South African Venda female initiation dance might have been the inspiration or one of the inspirations for this historically Black sorority vertical line formation.
This Zumulayah post is meant to point out the similarities in these historically Black Greek letter sorority vertical line formations, and not to assert that the Venda dance was the source for this type of probate processional formation. That said, I believe that it's quite possible that the South African Venda female initiation dance might have been the inspiration or one of the inspirations for this historically Black sorority vertical line formation.
Here's a definition of "probate" in the context of sororities & fraternities: A probate is a show that introduces new members of a sorority (or fraternity) to other members of their sorority (or fraternity), to other "Greeks", to family, friends, and to other onlookers. For historically Black sororities and fraternities, probate shows heavily involve the performance art of stepping.
Traditionally, Black Greek lettered fraternities also appear to have a formation in which they stand close to the person in front of them and sing or chant. However, in the videos I've seen the men lock arms but don't rest their head on the back of the person standing in front of them, nor do they hold hands with the person in front of & behind them. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdgwjN11AyY "Zoom Zoom" (Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity) for an example of this type of close fraternity vertical line formation.
My guess is that the very close line formation symbolizes the group's unity. The ability to act as one body that is demonstrated by the group's synchronized movements may symbolizes the cohesiveness that was forged as a result of the individuals' experiences of becoming members of their group. Also, the group's moving forward with their eyes closed and/or with their heads resting on their sister's back and being led by one member may represents the group's trust in each other, and especially their trust in that lead sister. Furthermore, the group moving forward in spite of their tiredness highlights the importance of the goal and the value of perseverance to reach that goal..
It's possible that the Venda python dance also has those meanings in addition to the cultural meanings which were given in the above quote about that dance.
-snip-
This same post was originally published at
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/similarities-between-venda-python-dance_7.html .
Visit pancocojams for other posts of the subject of Venda Domba dance and the subject of historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities probates.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE VENDA****
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venda_people [hereafter given as Wikipedia- Venda]
"The Venda (VhaVenda or Vhangona) are a Southern African Bantu people living mostly near the South African-Zimbabwean border.
Venda people share ancestry with Lobedu people and Kalanga
people. They are also related to Sotho-Tswana and Shona groups."...
****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venda
"Venda (/ˈvɛndə/) was a Bantustan in northern South Africa,
which is fairly close to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north,
while to the south and east, it shared a long border with another black
homeland, Gazankulu. It is now part of the Limpopo province [of the nation of South Africa]. Venda was founded
as a homeland by the South African government for the Venda people, speakers of
the Venda language.[4] The United Nations and international community refused
to recognise Venda (or any other Bantustan) as an independent state."..
-snip-
I added the words in brackets to further explain the end of that sentence.]
DESCRIPTION OF THE VENDA PYTHON DANCE & ITS SIMILARITY TO THE HISTORICALLY BLACK SORORITY PROBATE ENTRANCE FORMATION
I'm not sure if there is a standard name or any name for the commonly performed historically Black (African American) sorority probate (new members) entrance march which is the focus of this post. However, that very close contact vertical line formation is very similar to that which is described for the Venda people's "python dance" at Domba initiation rituals.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE VENDA PYTHON DANCE
Here is information about the symbolism of the Venda python dance (also known as the Venda "Domba" dance:
I've not reviewed many videos of the five historically Black Greek lettered fraternities to determine if each of those organizations have a similar close contact formation for their probates or their other members. However, I came across this video of a similar formation by members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdgwjN11AyY". In this video the men stand very close together with locked arms and without moving away from their spot. The first man in line doesn't fold his hands in a triangle position, and the men after the first person in line don't lay their head on the person in front of them.
I'm not sure if there is a standard name or any name for the commonly performed historically Black (African American) sorority probate (new members) entrance march which is the focus of this post. However, that very close contact vertical line formation is very similar to that which is described for the Venda people's "python dance" at Domba initiation rituals.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE VENDA PYTHON DANCE
Here is information about the symbolism of the Venda python dance (also known as the Venda "Domba" dance:
From 2008 pdf by Kent D. Fowler, University of Manitoba entitled "Social Memory and the Antiquity of Python and Crocodile Symbolism in Southern Africa"
..."Pythons, on the other hand, are directly associated
with leadership in Shona, Venda and Zulu cultures. In Venda court art, python
and crocodile imagery are paired, with crocodile images in the centre
surrounded by those of pythons (Huffman 1996:89). In the Venda “python dance”,
the same structure is found. Initiates dance in an undulating line emulating a
python encircling a pool represented by the central court. In this context, the
python is the “snake of the water”, a metaphor for female fertility. Pythons
are also paired with the mountain imagery of chiefs and referred to as “snake
of the mountain”. On some hilltops, it is believed that pythons guard the
entrance of caves that contain pools that are portals to the world of ancestors
(Huffman 1996:91). When linked to chieftainship and hilltops, pythons are the
“snake of the mountain” and invoke linked metaphors for rainmaking, young and
junior men, and male virility."...
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/12/pdf-excerpt-about-symbolism-of-pythons.html
for the pancocojams post entitled "PDF Excerpt About The Symbolism Of
Pythons And Crocodiles In Venda (South African) Culture". Additional
statements about this subject are included in the comment section of that post.
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/12/traditional-performance-and.html for the 2020 pancocojams post entitled "Contemporary Changes In Where and How The Venda (South African) Domba Dance (also known as the Python Dance) Is Performed".
****
Additional comments about the python dance that are
performed at the Domba are found below the video that is given as "Video
#1" in this post.
Two of the YouTube videos of that dance (given here as Videos #1 & #2) show the female in the front of the line with one or both of her hands held out to suggest a snake's head. The faces of the females in the line are expressionless and their eyes are closed. Each woman behind the woman at the head of the line lays her head on the back of the woman in front of them. The impression I got from the dance that the woman were very tired and were slowly walking forward in their sleep. Occasionally, the right arms and then the left arms of the entire group rhythmically undulate in a synchronized manner as the group slowly proceeds across the floor.
Judging from YouTube videos of historically Black Greek lettered sororities that I have watched, the line formation described above but without the undulating arm movement, appears to be commonly used as the entrance procession for most Black Greek lettered sorority probates.I've not reviewed many videos of the five historically Black Greek lettered fraternities to determine if each of those organizations have a similar close contact formation for their probates or their other members. However, I came across this video of a similar formation by members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdgwjN11AyY". In this video the men stand very close together with locked arms and without moving away from their spot. The first man in line doesn't fold his hands in a triangle position, and the men after the first person in line don't lay their head on the person in front of them.
VIDEOS OF THE VENDA PYTHON DANCE (AT VENDA DOMBAS)
Video #1: Domba
bigbluemeanie, Uploaded on Nov 9, 2006
The famous Domba initiation dance of the Venda tribe of Southern Africa
-snip-
Here are two comments from this video's viewer comment thread:
filato22, 2010
you can say that again its more zululized than venda. proudly venda
-snip-
bigbluemeanie, 2012
..."Domba was the third and final phase in Venda girls' initiation, which should have been attended after a girl had been to vhusha and tshikanda. It took place every three to five years at the head-quarters of chiefs and certain senior headman, and lasted for about one year. Its importance to the Venda was marked by the use of the bass drum (ngoma), which was also used in tshikona, the Venda national dance. There were a number of special rites and shows associated with domba…
****
Video #2: UMOJA - The Spirit of Togetherness Part 2
Mrbobodigital, Uploaded on Mar 23, 2011
-snip-
The Domba dance is from 2:17 to 3:50 of this video.
The description of this dance given as a subtitle in this video is "initiation dance for young women when they reach womenhood".
****
Video #3: Domba La Africa
dombalaafrica, Uploaded on Feb 26, 2010
Traditional Dance Group based in Soweto. Founded by the Late Co-founder of the Soweto Gospel Choir and Musical Director David Mulovhedzi
-snip-
The Domba dance is performed in this video from .53 to 1:01 and the video ends with a still photograph of that dance.
****
Video #4: venda dance
nkosiafrika, Uploaded on May 13, 2010
great va venda mothers proudly dance @a wddng in soweto south africa
****
RELATED VIDEOS
Here are links to two other traditional Venda dances:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e-hSuDsDc0
Venda women perform Malende traditional dance
**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUVkQFhdp3Y
Tshikona traditional Venda dance
Note: These links aren't meant to imply that these are the only other traditional Venda dances.
****
Thanks for visiting Zumulayah.
Visitor commentsa are welcome.
Monday, April 15, 2013
The Electric Slide In The USA, The Caribbean, And In Africa
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post presents information about the Electric Slide line dance and showcases selected videos of that dance.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT ADDING COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG
With considerable regret, I have disabled the comment feature on this blog (and on my other blogs except for https://pancocojams.blogspot.com, because of the large number of spam comments that I received on those blogs.
Comments for those blogs can be sent to my email address azizip17 dot com at yahoo dot com for possible inclusion in a specific post on those blogs.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ELECTRIC SLIDE
The Electric Boogie is a song that was written by Jamaican Reggae artist Bunny Wailer. That song was first recorded in 1976 by Bunny Wailer & Marcia Griffiths and was released again in 1989 by Marcia Griffiths.
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Slide "The Electric aka The Electric Slide is a four wall line dance that was created by choreographer Ric Silver in 1976.
In the United States, the Electric Slide is a highly participatory dance. When that record comes on at weddings, parties, and other social gatherings, the expectation is that a lot of people, regardless of gender or age, will come on to the dance floor and join in that danc.anyone who wants to join in that dance. It should be noted that the Electric Slide isn't just a feature at African American social gatherings, but is also done by White Americans and Americans of other races & ethnicities. While the Electric Slide dance was first done to Marcia Griffiths' "Electric Boogie", particularly among African Americans the 1986 record "Candy" by the Funk group Cameo appears to be the record that is most often played for that dance. This is due in part to that record being used for the Electric Slide scene at the end of the American movie "The Best Man" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168501/. A video of that scene is given below as Example #1.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
(The geographical location, including nation if known, is given in brackets after the video's title.)
Example #1: Terrence Howard in dance scene 'The Best Man' [USA]
kiowasioux1980,Published on Jul 24, 2012
Terrence Howard cutting the rug in this dance scene 3 3 3
-snip-
The "3"s are a way of writing smiles.
****
Example #2: Rob Charlemagne's 50th Birthday [USA]
Pamela Rene, Uploaded on Dec 6, 2010
Cameo - Electric slide
-snip-
Notice the “Go shortie. It’s your birthday” chant that is said in the beginning of this video, but not in the record. The chant "Go (person's name). It's your birthday" comes from the 1994 Hip-Hop record by Luke Campbell entitled “It’s Your Birthday”. Since that record’s release, that phrase has been frequently used for birthdays by some African Americans, often before or after the standard "Happy Birthday" song. The word "go" in this phrase means "Do your thing". Do what you're doing well". A "shortie" can mean a child or a young person. Therefore, the word "shortie" in the phrase "Go shortie" doesn't necessarily mean "a short person", although it probably means that in this instance.
****
Example #3: Nigeria/Jamaica Wedding/ Electric Slide Dance! USA [USA Nigeria/Jamaican wedding]
Nigeria Liberty Forum, Uploaded on Apr 18, 2009
Nigerian Man weds Jamaican Lady in New Ark, New Jersey USA.
Nigerian Ayorinde and Krystal brought out the best in the African- Caribbean culture and a mix of the sha sha dance! 17th April 2009.
-snip-
Here's an interesting comment from this video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KlzNv7ZfYo
darknhansum4lyfe, 2010
"Nice, no matter what kind of gathering we as black people have it's one song gauranteed to play and mostly everyone join. Yesss! The Electric Slide,lol. Sometimes, you got to get gizzy with it and take it to the floor,lol, if your bones and joints will let you. LOL"
-snip-
"Get gizzy" means to do really good dance moves. "Take it to the floor" means to dip down close to the floor.
****
Example #4: Quelbe Slide [The Caribbean - United States Virgin Islands]
d1spoonky, Uploaded on Mar 16, 2011
Quelbe (Electric) Slide @ Agricultural Fair 2011...People Dancing the Electric Slide Crucian Style!!!
-snip-
"Quelbe" is the national music of the Virgin Islands. "Crucian" = the people who live in St Croix, Virgin Islands.
****
Example #5: Sheila and Eli Wedding Electric Slide Dance [The Caribbean - The Dominican Republic]
.
Syyeary Uploaded on Dec 10, 2009
Wedding Dance, Sheila and Eli, Electric Slide at their wedding reception at the Majestic Elegance Resort in the Domincan Republic
****
Example #6: Candy Dance at Nana & Russell Nii Odartei's engagment party [Africa - Ghana]
Uploaded on Oct 13, 2009
10-10-09 will always stay in my mind, because that's the day Nana & Russell Odartei Evans had their traditional wedding at home. Then in the evening they had what will go down as the best engagement party ever!!!! & the crowning was everyone joined in the CANDY DANCE !!!.
-snip-
"Ghanaian engagment parties" = wedding
****
Example #7: African Electric Slide [Africa - Nigeria]
Efosa Igbinovia, Uploaded on Sep 27, 2011
Electric Slide 9ja style!!! Hahaha loved this
-snip-
9ja = "Naija" is a colloquial referent for Nigeria. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11447252 "Nigeria at 50: What does Naija mean?" October 2010
Judging from their clothing, hat and their red beaded necklace, these men are from the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. Notice that in contrast to the usual response to this song in the USA, the two men dance the Electric Slide alone.
Also, in Nigeria, "engagement party" also mean "wedding".
****
RELATED LINKS
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/history-of-electric-slide.html History Of The Electric Slide
**
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/selected-videos-of-electric-slide.html Selected Videos Of The Electric Slide
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those featured in these videos & congratulations to all those in the videos who were celebrating weddings or birthdays or some other special occassion. My thanks also to the producers of these videos and their publishers on YouTube.
Thanks for visiting zumalayah.
Zumalayah showcases videos of dances & singing games done in circles or in lines, and other movement performance arts from African American culture, from African cultures, and from other cultures of the African Diaspora.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post presents information about the Electric Slide line dance and showcases selected videos of that dance.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT ADDING COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG
With considerable regret, I have disabled the comment feature on this blog (and on my other blogs except for https://pancocojams.blogspot.com, because of the large number of spam comments that I received on those blogs.
Comments for those blogs can be sent to my email address azizip17 dot com at yahoo dot com for possible inclusion in a specific post on those blogs.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ELECTRIC SLIDE
The Electric Boogie is a song that was written by Jamaican Reggae artist Bunny Wailer. That song was first recorded in 1976 by Bunny Wailer & Marcia Griffiths and was released again in 1989 by Marcia Griffiths.
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Slide "The Electric aka The Electric Slide is a four wall line dance that was created by choreographer Ric Silver in 1976.
In the United States, the Electric Slide is a highly participatory dance. When that record comes on at weddings, parties, and other social gatherings, the expectation is that a lot of people, regardless of gender or age, will come on to the dance floor and join in that danc.anyone who wants to join in that dance. It should be noted that the Electric Slide isn't just a feature at African American social gatherings, but is also done by White Americans and Americans of other races & ethnicities. While the Electric Slide dance was first done to Marcia Griffiths' "Electric Boogie", particularly among African Americans the 1986 record "Candy" by the Funk group Cameo appears to be the record that is most often played for that dance. This is due in part to that record being used for the Electric Slide scene at the end of the American movie "The Best Man" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168501/. A video of that scene is given below as Example #1.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
(The geographical location, including nation if known, is given in brackets after the video's title.)
Example #1: Terrence Howard in dance scene 'The Best Man' [USA]
kiowasioux1980,Published on Jul 24, 2012
Terrence Howard cutting the rug in this dance scene 3 3 3
-snip-
The "3"s are a way of writing smiles.
****
Example #2: Rob Charlemagne's 50th Birthday [USA]
Pamela Rene, Uploaded on Dec 6, 2010
Cameo - Electric slide
-snip-
Notice the “Go shortie. It’s your birthday” chant that is said in the beginning of this video, but not in the record. The chant "Go (person's name). It's your birthday" comes from the 1994 Hip-Hop record by Luke Campbell entitled “It’s Your Birthday”. Since that record’s release, that phrase has been frequently used for birthdays by some African Americans, often before or after the standard "Happy Birthday" song. The word "go" in this phrase means "Do your thing". Do what you're doing well". A "shortie" can mean a child or a young person. Therefore, the word "shortie" in the phrase "Go shortie" doesn't necessarily mean "a short person", although it probably means that in this instance.
****
Example #3: Nigeria/Jamaica Wedding/ Electric Slide Dance! USA [USA Nigeria/Jamaican wedding]
Nigeria Liberty Forum, Uploaded on Apr 18, 2009
Nigerian Man weds Jamaican Lady in New Ark, New Jersey USA.
Nigerian Ayorinde and Krystal brought out the best in the African- Caribbean culture and a mix of the sha sha dance! 17th April 2009.
-snip-
Here's an interesting comment from this video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KlzNv7ZfYo
darknhansum4lyfe, 2010
"Nice, no matter what kind of gathering we as black people have it's one song gauranteed to play and mostly everyone join. Yesss! The Electric Slide,lol. Sometimes, you got to get gizzy with it and take it to the floor,lol, if your bones and joints will let you. LOL"
-snip-
"Get gizzy" means to do really good dance moves. "Take it to the floor" means to dip down close to the floor.
****
Example #4: Quelbe Slide [The Caribbean - United States Virgin Islands]
d1spoonky, Uploaded on Mar 16, 2011
Quelbe (Electric) Slide @ Agricultural Fair 2011...People Dancing the Electric Slide Crucian Style!!!
-snip-
"Quelbe" is the national music of the Virgin Islands. "Crucian" = the people who live in St Croix, Virgin Islands.
****
Example #5: Sheila and Eli Wedding Electric Slide Dance [The Caribbean - The Dominican Republic]
.
Syyeary Uploaded on Dec 10, 2009
Wedding Dance, Sheila and Eli, Electric Slide at their wedding reception at the Majestic Elegance Resort in the Domincan Republic
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Example #6: Candy Dance at Nana & Russell Nii Odartei's engagment party [Africa - Ghana]
Uploaded on Oct 13, 2009
10-10-09 will always stay in my mind, because that's the day Nana & Russell Odartei Evans had their traditional wedding at home. Then in the evening they had what will go down as the best engagement party ever!!!! & the crowning was everyone joined in the CANDY DANCE !!!.
-snip-
"Ghanaian engagment parties" = wedding
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Example #7: African Electric Slide [Africa - Nigeria]
Efosa Igbinovia, Uploaded on Sep 27, 2011
Electric Slide 9ja style!!! Hahaha loved this
-snip-
9ja = "Naija" is a colloquial referent for Nigeria. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11447252 "Nigeria at 50: What does Naija mean?" October 2010
Judging from their clothing, hat and their red beaded necklace, these men are from the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. Notice that in contrast to the usual response to this song in the USA, the two men dance the Electric Slide alone.
Also, in Nigeria, "engagement party" also mean "wedding".
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RELATED LINKS
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/history-of-electric-slide.html History Of The Electric Slide
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http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/selected-videos-of-electric-slide.html Selected Videos Of The Electric Slide
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those featured in these videos & congratulations to all those in the videos who were celebrating weddings or birthdays or some other special occassion. My thanks also to the producers of these videos and their publishers on YouTube.
Thanks for visiting zumalayah.
Zumalayah showcases videos of dances & singing games done in circles or in lines, and other movement performance arts from African American culture, from African cultures, and from other cultures of the African Diaspora.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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