Ferocious Dance
Ferocious Dance
This chapter examines ferocious or combat dance in Circum-Caribbean history. It documents martial art forms and stick-fighting dances on the African continent and Diaspora combat dances that are similar to Brazilian capoeira and maculelê. It also proposes the inclusion of armed and unarmed combat rituals within Caribbean dance categories. The chapter begins with a discussion of the African legacies of ferocious dance, focusing on the importance of martial arts to the societies of colonial Angola and its connection to Caribbean combat dances, as well as the ways in which martial techniques were transported within enslaved bodies to parts of the African Diaspora. It then describes examples of Circum-Caribbean combat dance games, including ladja and danmyé in Martinique, juego de maní in Cuba, kalinda in Trinidad and Tobago, and tambú and kokomakaku in Curaçao. The chapter concludes with an assessment of lessons imparted by combat dance.
Keywords: combat dance, stick-fighting dance, capoeira, maculelê, combat rituals, Caribbean dance, ferocious dance, martial arts, African Diaspora, juego de maní
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