My Forward:
Richardg
Most of the background information concerning the life and times of Pearl Primus was taken from Wikipedia and several other sources. I wanted to start the discussion on Black Modern Dance with Pearl Primus because she was mainly interested in the study of African Culture and dance. Her mission was to change people’s perceptions and attitudes about African dance through education and performance. She took trips to Africa and wrote books about African dance. She wanted Black people and others to understand that
African Dance was not all about wild movements, but a sense of grace, culture and organization. Pearl Primus grew up in a home that was influenced by African music and dance. Her maternal grandfather was an Ashanti musician from Ghana. Unlike the US, many black slaves brought to Trinidad were allowed to practice their African customs. In the US, the practice was outlawed during slavery. For those who might be interested, many informative books has been written about the influx of blacks from the West Indies during the Harlem Renaissance period. In the future, I will be discussing how West Indian Culture influenced the Harlem Renaissance Period. Below is a time line which was taken from Wikipedia.
Wikipedia Biography
Pearl Primus: (Born November 29, 1919, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – Died: October 29, 1994 in the US) was a dancer, choreographer and anthropologist. Primus played an important role in the presentation of African dance to American audiences. Early in her career she saw the needs to promote African dance as an art form worthy of study and performance.
Primus’ work was a reaction to myths of savagery and the lack of knowledge about African people. It was an effort to guide the Western world to view African dance as an important and dignified statement about another way of life. Additionally, her work provided a knowledge and meaning for dances that had been plagued by distortion of movement and excessive hip shaking of the backside.
continue reading pt.2
richardg
– March 31, 2011Posted in: Art and Music
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