DANCE LOCATION IN ESAN WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY
According to Innocent Akioya (2006), music is life for a typical African child. Almost everything that happens around him has music in it. When his mother is washing clothes, she sings. While sweeping, the sister sings. On the farm, the father whistles to tune. When the family gathers for a ceremony, singing is performed, as singing is an important part of music; music is thus that which brings the activities around him to life.
Innocent Akinoya (2006) defined music as “sound that pleases the ears.” Music, according to Abolagba J. A. (2003), is a combination of organized sounds that are pleasing to the ears. As a result, sound is the primary source of music. It must be pleasing to the ear if it is organized; otherwise, it will be considered noise.
DANCE
Dance, according to Abolagba J. A. (2003), is a rhythmic movement to music, either alone, with a partner, or in a group. Dance is another example of using one’s body to convey a message. Dance, on the other hand, is rooted in body movement, whereas drama is rooted in words and music in songs. There’s a saying that Africans are natural dancers. This is due to the fact that Africans dance to any music they hear:
Dance, as an art form, can play a variety of roles in an individual or group of individuals. This includes the following:
1. People dance in order to glorify God.
2. People dance to express their emotions.
3. Dance is used for entertainment purposes.
4. People dance in order to exercise their bodies.
It is also used to appease the gods.
PATTERNS OF DANCE
Because dance has its own methodology, a dancer must master the techniques for his profession. Dance also varies from culture to culture. This is why Europeans dance Ballat, whereas Nigerians have either the Yoruba Bata dance, the Igbo Antilogous dance, or the Hausa dance. Each of these dances has its own quirks, so their techniques must be mastered before they can be performed.
There are some common denominators that can be found in almost all dances. They are the elements that highlight techniques. Once mastered, the dancer has no trouble dancing. They are the dancer’s tool, the “body,” the location he occupies during performance, either on stage or in an open area known as the “space,” and the way he responds to rhythm, either slowly or quickly known as the “time.”
DANCE FORMATS
In Nigeria, there are two types of dance: free dance and stylized dance. There are no restrictions on how each dancer moves in terms of space, relationship to other dancers, or body movement in free dancing. Rather, each dancer expresses his or her inner feelings independently of the actions of other dancers or parts of the body.
Stylized dance, on the other hand, is concerned with movement purpose and uniformity. The movements in the atilogwu dance are planned in such a way that body relationships and individual relationships are all meaningful examples.
DANCE CATEGORIES
Dances can also be classified according to their function.
1. Occupational dancing
2. Social gatherings and dances
3. Traditional dances
WORKPLACE DANCES
They are associated with, staged, or represent various aspects of Nigerian professions such as hunting, divination, fishing, farming, and so on.
DANCES IN SOCIETY
This includes those staged for social events such as weddings, title takings, and so on.
DANCES OF RITUAL
Sango dances, new yam dances, masquerade dances, and so on are examples of this.
THE DANCE STRUCTURE
There are three (3) basic structures in dance. The beginning, middle, and end.
FORMATIONS OF DANCE
There are various mathematical formations that provide the framework for the dancers’ organization, position, space, and movement, as well as the music orchestra or ensemble. The following are the formations:
a. The formation of a circle
b. Formation of parallel lines
i. Parallel double lines
ii. triangular parallel lines
iii. parallel quadruple lines
c. Formation of a single line
d. Formation of a semicircle
DANCE COMPONENTS
Music, drama, costume, language, and mimes are all components of dance. Music is essential in dance because the dancer moves to the rhythm and tempo of music, which includes both unexpected and planned musical variations.
Drama is used in the form of acting or behavior by farmers during planting and harvesting activities, paddling a canoe as in the EGWU-AMALA of Delta State women dancers, and cante dancers of the Efik, Ijaw, and Ibibio people. Costumes provide and express the external beauty of the dancers and the dance, as well as the color of joy, sadness, gallantry, war, peace, smartness, or worship, depending on the type of social functions and objectives of the dance.
Language is expressed through words and statements in the vocal line, such as commitments, creative speech, and recitations. Mime is a form of gesture that uses different patterns of facial expression, arm, head, and eye movement, and signs to analyze some ideas.
DANCE ASPECTS
The following are the aspects that we consider while dancing.
1. Space awareness; in any dance, the spacing of dancers is taken into account. The distance between dancers is determined by the type of dance.
A good dance leader should space the dancers so that they are all free when dancing and do not collide when demonstrating a particular skill. Dancer spacing also allows the audience to have a clear view of the dancers and identify the best dancer. The spacing of the dancers also allows for air ventilation. As well as allowing the dancers to take in fresh air for strength while performing this act.
2. Time awareness: Every good dancer must be aware of the passage of time. Dancers must be extremely sensitive, watchful, and vigilant in order to know when to enter the dance. Dancers will know how many beats to follow and when to stop when they have a sense of time. They must all come to a complete stop and restart at the same time.
3. Weight awareness: When we talk about weight, we mean the weight of each dancer. It must be taken into account whether or not they are obese. This is because a dancer’s size or weight determines the type of dance he or she can participate in; for example, someone who is obese cannot be chosen for the Esan dance “Igbabonelimin.” The majority of the time, ordinary people are chosen.
4. Body awareness: This discussion about the physical appearance of people involved in an individual’s life will determine what he or she can do better. Among the others, this is the most important. For example, a person’s disability will prevent him or her from doing what his or her peers are doing.
1.2 DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM
Many Africans are unfamiliar with their own cultures. They are currently being influenced by civilization. Africans are now singing and dancing like white men, ignoring their great cultures. Even finding books that we can use for research is difficult. Because of civilization, most African authors no longer write books about their various cultures. This explains why there are few information sources.
In this study, the researcher hopes to raise awareness among Africans about being proud of their culture and protecting it for future identification.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The following is the study’s goal:
1. Raising public awareness of the acrobatic dance known as “Igbabonelimen.”
2. To investigate the role of music in Igbabonelimin dance.
3. Recognize and explain the meanings of some of the songs used in Igbabonelimin dance.
1.4 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
A survey of the dance problem in relation to Igbabonelimin. The local government of Esan West in Edo State is very important not only to Esan West (okpebho), but to Nigeria in general. The significance of conducting this research is that, in the end, it could serve as a resource material for many people who want to learn more about the dance problem and the benefits of this measure.
This research will encourage the people of Esan West and Africans in general to become more interested in and involved in dance. Above all, this work will provide very useful information on dance, as well as serve as a source of information for Africans and parents interested in learning more about African culture or cultural heritage.
1.5 STUDY OBJECTIVES
This research would have included the entire Esan region of Edo state. However, due to time and financial constraints, the researcher has decided to focus her research on the Igbabonelimin dance of the Okpebho community in Edo State.
1.6 THE METHODOLOGY
In order to collect data for this study, various research techniques were used. Oral interviews, field trips, and library research were all covered in this section.
INTERVIEW IN PERSON
To obtain the information depicted in this study, the researcher conducted an oral interview. The researcher visited several Esan West Local Government communities and villages.
TRIP IN THE FIELD
The researcher visited four villages in Esan West Local Government Area for the purpose of this study. In order for her to observe the Igbabonelimin dancers as they demonstrated their skills live on stage. Irrua, Ogwu, Egoro, and Ewu were the villages covered.
This aided the researcher in gathering more data for her research.
RESEARCH IN THE LIBRARY
The researcher used books written by various authors for research purposes for this study. To gather more information, the researchers visited various libraries.
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DANCE LOCATION IN ESAN WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE