Some dance crazes are mere fads that barely last longer than it takes to pronounce their given name while others endure long enough to become cultural icons. However long they last they all have one thing in common: a unique style that delights and captures the imagination of enough people for it to acquire the status of a cultural meme. And though they emerge from all corners of the continent, the French speaking African countries have a slight edge in the sheer number and reach of their dance creations.
Below are 10 of the top African dance creations to have gained global stature either recently or, in the case of Soukous, in the last 40 years as according to MyWeku.
AZONTO (proudly Ghanaian)
Ghana’s Azonto dance craze took the world by storm at the latter end of 2011. From night clubs and the streets of Accra to churches and schools, the Azonto dance threatened to eclipse the success of some of Ghana’s famous exports — its cocoa, gold and, of course, its exciting brand of football recently and still being shown at the ongoing AFCON.
The Azonto is still going strong, and was last seen on London’s Oxford Street.
Hlokoloza Dance (South Africa)
Kwaito artist Arthur Mafokate, introduced ‘Hlokoloza’ to the world. In his words, “Hlokoloza is a variation on several township dances put together with a bit of the ‘Hlokoloza’ swag.”
Well thats if you can pronounce the name but can you do the Hlokoloza Dance?
Oliver Twist (Nigeria)
This is what happens when Nigeria’s music stars D’Banj, Don Jazzy and the Mo’Hits crew announced a competition for fans to submit videos of themselves doing the Oliver Twist dance.
With savvy promotion flair and a massive following on social media, especially on twitter, the combined efforts of the music stars made the Oliver Twist dance a hit, even inspiring an animated version before the eventual winners My Backyard Crew were announced.
Bobaraba (Ivory Coast)
2008 saw Ivory Coast’s Bobaraba ascend the dance craze charts. The dance was inspired by Ivorian DJs Mix and Eloh’s hit song Bobaraba .
Bobaraba means “big bottom” in Ivory Coast’s Djoula language. In an interview with the BBC the pair stated that “We made Bobaraba as a tribute to women, because African women are defined by the shape of their bottoms.”
BallRoom Dancing (South Africa)
Jabu Vilakazi, chairman of South Africa’s dance academy, was quoted as saying “Dancing is changing many peoples’ lives. People have changed from being hooligans to well-behaved people because of it. You learn a lot of manners in dancing. And you have to maintain your discipline. You can’t just go into the hall with your cap on. You’ve got to behave yourself, man.”
One thing I do now for sure is this is the only dance I and my grandmother can dance together.
Bird Flu Dance (Ivory Coast)
Yes the dance was influenced by the deadly virus.
In 2006 a local DJ named Lewis created a wacky bird flu dance. The dance had people shaking uncontrollably, clucking like birds and flapping their arms all in the name of mimicking a dying bird flu-infected chicken.
As DJ Lewis said to the BBC “I created the dance to bring happiness to the hearts of Africans and to chase away fear—the fear of eating chicken.”
Soukous, Lingala (Congo, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania)
Some know Soukous only as a genre of music but it started life as a dance craze in Francophone Congo in the 1930s and early 1940s. It is now just as popular in East Africa where it is said to have been brought over by Congolese political exiles.
Mapouka (Ivory Coast)
If you can shake and move your backside rhythmically without moving your hips then you can do the Mapouka.
In its heydays Mapouka was considered scandalous and banned from Ivorian TV for its overtly sexual overtones (it’s also known as, “La danse du fessier” or “the dance of the behind”).
The Yahooze (Nigeria)
Critics of the Yahooze dance claimed it glorified 419 scammers and their online ” yahooze ” activities. That didn’t stop Colin Powell, the former US Secretary of State and perhaps its most famous dancer to date, from giving it a good go.
Shangaan Electro Dance (South Africa)
There’s a good chance the Shangaan Electro Dance is the fastest dance of African origin that you’ve ever seen. If so, that’s exactly what was intended, at least according to the creator of the music genre that accompanies the dance.
Source : RoiskidGh’s Blog
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