Promoting

Social Change through

Traditional African Dance
































Kevin McEwen
Student
New York University

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Abstract

There has always been a need to bring balance between those who are privileged and those who

are oppressed by the privilege of others. The history of our global society runs deep with people

who have made their success off the hard working backs of other people.

As a choreographer and dance educator, one of my missions is to educate and uplift those who

have been dehumanized and traumatized through systemic racial oppression. One medium used

to educate the oppressed and to treat various forms of trauma is dance. Traditional African

dance forms provides a foundation for creative inquiry, which allows for the development of

choreography focused on social change.

This presentation will focus on the creation of a piece entitled “NAGNOU FECC – The Men

Must Dance.” Nagnou Fecc is the Wolof words for "Men Dance". This choreography served as

an artistic protest to the increased and rampant assault on the African male identity in America.

Dr. John Henrik Clark states that "The role of history is to tell a people where they have been,

what they've been, where they are and what they are, but most importantly, the role of history

(properly learned) tells a people where they still must go and what they still must be."

Nagnou Fecc also served as a "call-to-arms" for all men willing to put in the work. This

choreography stands as a moment in time where individual differences of class, religion, income

and ignorance were put aside to create a message of unity enlightenment and awareness within

the African Diaspora.

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Our Global Society
Throughout world history, there has always been the need for people to live in

communities. From the small villages of the Bantu people, to the massive empires of ancient

Egypt, communities would always vary in size and scope. The larger the community, the more

resources were needed to keep the population of the community satiated and thriving. The need

for competition and even domination between communities became a necessary action for

survival. The expansion of the European nations across the Atlantic Ocean, created a need for a

cheap labor force whose sole purpose was to fuel the growth of Cotton and Sugar production

from the New World back to Europe.

Although slavery and colonialism are remnants of a bygone era, the effects of these two

systems can still be seen on a daily basis by those who are a part of the African Diaspora. The

United States has had several prominent cases of systemic police brutality against black men and

women. Almost all of these cases were situations where unarmed men and women were

profiled, assaulted and executed without any repercussions for the murderers of these people.

The advent of social media and smart phone technology has been a great tool in

documenting this abuse, however, it does little to remedy the situation, and in most cases, it

prolongs the emotional and mental trauma of those who watch the smart phone video clips over

and over again with multiple people viewing one video clip several times within a given

timespan.

NAGNOU FECC
As a choreographer and dance educator, one of my missions is to educate and uplift those

who have been dehumanized and traumatized through systemic racial oppression. The medium I

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use to educate the oppressed and to treat various forms of trauma is dance. Traditional African

dance forms provides a foundation for creative inquiry, which allows for the development of

choreography focused on social change. Looking at the concept of social change, we must not

view it as some far off notion that is attached to some clandestine approach towards racial unity.

The dance educator/choreographer must approach the subject of social change from the

individual perspective of one man/woman making the difference. This was the approach I took

in creating a piece of choreography entitled “NAGNOU FECC” – The Men MUST Dance.

“NAGNOU FECC”, comes from the Wolof language, which is spoken by the Wolof

people of Senegal, West Africa. In this world where male normalcy and manhood is

simultaneously defined and assaulted by popular culture, this artwork would look to re-define

what the concept of manhood is through the usage of traditional West African dance technique

from the country of Senegal.

NAGNOU FECC would also serve as an artistic protest to the increased and rampant

assault on the black male identity. As a black man born and raised in America, it was very

obvious to me that black men who look like me are literally being hunted down and assassinated

at an alarming rate.

This choreography would seek to represent an ideal of men reclaiming their history and

their power, using dance as our weapon of choice, paving the way for future generations to stand

tall, stand proud and stand together in unison, having a true sense of brotherhood and knowledge

of what it means to be a Black Man in America!

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The Backstory
In the wake of the deaths of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland

and Ralkina Jones, the conversation surrounding police violence in the US has become more

immediate than ever before. Brown, Martin, and Garner's deaths at the hands of police officers

have forced many to confront the persistent reality of racism in the United States (Herwees,

2015).

The artist in me wanted to develop something that could be a meaningful and impactful

asset to the larger conversation of police brutality. As a black man in America, the trauma from

watching all of these situations play out in the media did have an effect on me. I wanted to

create something that would force people to not only acknowledge what was going on in

American society, but would act as a “rallying call” to other men who suffered that same type of

trauma that I was suffering from.

Griot/Gewel Support

As a choreographer, it was very important that the music and ethnographic information

be grounded in the traditional aspects of Senegalese culture. The Sabar drum is an instrument

from Senegal. Although there are Americans that can play the instrument, their access to

information behind the rhythms and the historical information behind those rhythms tends to be

limited. In order to get the information on what rhythms are used from an ethnographic

perspective, you have to rely on drummers from Senegal who are a part of the griot/gewel caste

of musicians. A Griot is a historian in the most basic of senses. They are entrusted with the

knowledge of their specific craft. It’s a task and responsibility that is passed down from

generation to generation in a similar way that a family of blacksmiths or carpenters will pass

down their traditional works from one family’s generation to another.

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 My time as a performer with KanKouran West African Dance Company gave me direct

access Griot Percussionist Medoune Yacine Gueye (aka Dame Gueye or Papa Dame). Papa

Dame’s intimate knowledge of Sabar music and ethnographic information made him an

invaluable resource during the NAGNOU FECC creative process. I knew what I wanted to do

from a choreographers’ perspective, but if it didn’t make sense to Papa Dame, I would adjust my

choreography accordingly.

Papa Dame asked that I get two of his cousins from New York (who are master drummers in

their own rite) to perform with us. Abdou M’baye and Cheick Tairou M’baye (May he rest in

peace) agreed to support the project without any issue.

The last Griot component to the creative process came in the form of the Griot Oussenyou

Kouyate. Like Papa Dame, Abdou, and Chieck Tairou, Oussenyou was also from a Griot family

in Senegal, however his lineage was that of a singer. I knew that his singing would add yet

another level of artistry and culture to the overall performance.

Brotherhood/Mentorship
Dancing to Sabar music can be a daunting task to seasoned veterans of West African

dance. In order to create this choreography, I needed all of the dancers to be men. The male

energy and dynamic was critical for this production. The biggest challenge going into this

choreography was that I would need to train my participants in a dance style that was extremely

difficult for most individuals.

I found four young men who were willing to learn and contribute to the creative process.

The only challenge was they were all Ballet dancers! Dance researcher Joann Kealinohomoku is

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very well known for her stance of looking at Ballet as a form of ethnic dance. Although ballet is

an ethnic dance form in its own rite, it’s ethnographic information is entirely different from

Sabar dance. Getting their bodies to move away from the often restrictive European perspective

to the more expressive African perspective was a daunting task. The experience became an

introspective journey for all four men that lead to multiple discussions on presentation,

oppression, dance history, anthropology and ethnography. Throughout the creative journey, I not

only functioned as a choreographer, but as a “big brother” and mentor to these four young men

who were subconsciously looking for some guidance, mentorship and brotherhood in a world

where they often felt marginalized by class and neglected because of their race.

Another aspect to this choreography would bring in some seasoned professional dancers

to mix in with the dancers that were less experienced in Sabar technique. I was very fortunate

and blessed to get two of my dance brothers from KanKouran to support this project. Although

we all moved on from dancing with KanKouran, brothers in dance will always support each

other and for that, I was eternally grateful.

Creative Process
The piece began with a five-minute montage of video clips detailing the severity of police

brutality towards the black community in America. Guest artist Daunte Fyall, was the main focal

point of the piece as his improvised movements mirroring the anguish he felt as a black man

having to view this video footage and its effect on him. His visceral cries of “I CAN’T

BREATHE” within his improvisational solo was a homage to Eric Garner, a man who died at the

hands of New York City police officers after he did nothing wrong or illegal.

From an ethnographic perspective, the two Sabar techniques used within the

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choreography was Yaaba and Kaolack. Yaaba, a dance done traditionally by fishermen, is a

slower version of another dance/rhythm known as Baar Mbaye. The dance is slow, with very

intentional movements that are traditionally done by the elders of the fishermen communities in

Senegal. Kaolack, the name of one of Senegal’s southern cities, is also the name of the rhythm

and dance of the most popular techniques within Senegalese dance culture. This dance would

come as the second component of the choreography, pushing and elevating the energy of the

dance.

Premier and Presentation

The premier of NAGNOU FECC took place on Saturday, July 27th 2015 at the

Umfundalai Streams Concert at the CityDance Theater at Strathmore University. Once the piece

was performed, the overall conversation around the work was exactly what I wanted as a

choreographer. Words such as “thought-provoking,” “moving,” and “healing” were expressed

through multiple members of the audience. There was also an amazing exchange of words and

dialog circling around these terms:

• Strength • Fight
• Men • Community • Be
• Beauty • Trauma • Do
• Leadership • Pain • Believe
• Youth • Exhaustion • Remember
• Wisdom • Hurt • Faith
• Love • Resistance • Power
• Catharsis • Revolution

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 The social change outcome now has a foundation in dialog that is concentrated on the

mutual experience of the audience members and the choreography participants. The traditional

dance and drum technique used in the choreography also connects the audience and dancers to a

frequency, energy and culture that can ground and support those who are suffering from the

traumatic effects of police brutality and racial oppression.

In implementing social change through traditional African dance, you have to do the

ethnographic research, as well as have respect for the tradition and intention of the dance

aesthetic. The paradigm shift occurs when the choreographer breaks away from creating with

the intention to entertain, to creating with an intention to inform and educate. In this process, a

choreographer’s role is to start the conversation, through their work. You never know who is in

the audience and who will be inspired, motivated or moved to BE the change that your work will

inspire.