Like with most Ndebele traditional dances, the name describes not only the dance, but the music as well, or even the rhythm, the clapping.
Umdadada is a powerful, high energy female courtship dance, used to display one’s feminine abilities, directed specifically at challenging the interest eligible bachelors.
There are no clear cuts sexual undertones, like the shaking of the pelvic gurgle to indicate one’s supposed sexual ‘expertise’ as is common with most dances international, like kwasakwasa, mbakumba etc but still a dance that will hold its audience spellbound.
Of course the’ cock and hen’ action is clearly discernible as the male joins in the dance with ingquzu. The mdadada dancer will pick her man and stick to him, dancing with him like a protective chicken.
The image portrayed by the talented female dancer as she accompanies her male counterpart is a happy one. The two dancers are now engrossed on each other , their only purpose being to dance , dance for each other, to please each other, knowing the other wants the same. Yes, a dance of love, a dance of happiness. Umdadada and ingquzu will hold audiences spellbound anywhere. Ingquzu is fast, faster even to gumboot, tap dance, and is designed to show strength and vitality. It is a man’s dance, a healthy man’s dance, a real man, a strong man.
The energy expended on this dance can not fail to draw audiences.
I have seen people watching this dance being transformed to a happy disposition. With a smile on their faces they would watch, happily the whole world forgotten, if only for that particular period.
©Bekezela Dube 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment