As Mr. Lucas and I talked, we spoke of what I've seen about the qualities that are the same and different in classical ballet and African-based dance. The movements are light, often air-borne, with magnificent leaps and beautiful partnering in which the man lifts and carries the woman as though she were light as a feather. When we think of African dance, we tend to picture movements that are looser, less centered and symmetrical, more on the side of the unaffected and natural. The weight is more into the earth as the body, bent at the waist, leans forward in a crouch. The knees are bent, and the bare feet are often flexed and usually in a natural forward position.
Most movements originate in the pelvic region and then radiate out through the rest of the body.
For example, while many of us are inclined to attribute the qualities of nobility and stateliness to ballet, African dance, in its own way, has tremendous dignity and stateliness. There are, for instance, steps and movements which have great religious meaning and they are done with a profound seriousness that is truly beautiful, even awe-inspiring. And while people often think of African dance as sharply percussive and ballet as more lyrical, they each have both of these opposites. Some of the African dances I care for most are those in which waves of motion gracefully undulate up the body and ripple out through the arms and hands. And ballet, while it accents fluidity, also requires quick, snappy movements.