Choreographies of African Identities

ebook Négritude, Dance, and the National Ballet of Senegal

By Francesca Castaldi

cover image of Choreographies of African Identities

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Choreographies of African Identities traces interconnected interpretative frameworks around and about the National Ballet of Senegal. Using the metaphor of a dancing circle Castaldi's arguments cover the full spectrum of performance, from production to circulation and reception. Castaldi first situates the reader in a North American theater, focusing on the relationship between dancers and audiences as that between black performers and white spectators. She then examines the work of the National Ballet in relation to Léopold Sédar Senghor's Négritude ideology and cultural politics. Finally, the author addresses the circulation of dances in the streets, discotheques, and courtyards of Dakar, drawing attention to women dancers' occupation of the urban landscape.
| Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: Positionality and The Choreography of Theory 1. The National Ballet of Senegal at a Theatre in California 2. African Dance, Africanist Discourse, and Negritude 3. The National Ballet of Senegal at a Theatre in Dakar 4. Sabars and a Women's Public Sphere 5. Tales of Betrayals 6. The Circulation of Dances On and Off The Stage 7. Urban Ballets and the Professionalization of Dance 8. Exploiting Ter...nga. Conclusion: Negritude Reconsidered Sources Consulted |

"Castaldi was the first to publish an in-depth study of dance in Dakar, and hers is a very valuable contribution to a much neglected yet growing field. . . . I would highly recommend it to any reader concerned with the significance of performance in social life and the circulation of the performing arts within and out of Africa."—African Arts


"Castald''s strongest moments lie in her deconstruction of the curious syntheses of 'national ballets,' which perform merged imaginaries for largely expatriate audiences. . . . Recommended."—Choice
"Castaldi has adopted a dance company, the National Ballet of Senegal, for her worthwhile study. . . . Her analysis of the cross-cultural and artistic issues that face African dance companies is a complex web or mirror that envelops anthropology, colonialism, women's issues, and creative virtuosity."—Multicultural Review
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Francesca Castaldi is an independent dance scholar and ethnographer.

Choreographies of African Identities