Agoo? (Ah-go?)
In Ghana, an African country I visited, “agoo” (ah-go) means
“May I have your attention?” If your answer is yes, you say
“Amee” (ah-may), which means “I am listening.” I hope you
are listening because I am inviting you to join “our village.”
The African American Dance Ensemble has prepared
for many years to give you an exceptional dance and
musical presentation.
Dancing for me, and for many people in Africa, is
what makes life possible. Much more than fun for
us, it is how we celebrate, remember, worship,
and tell stories. Most and best of all, it is
a way to come together to know deep
down who we are.
Agoo? Good! Come with
me to “our village!” It is a
friendly place with Peace,
Love, and Respect
for Everybody!
I am Dr. Chuck Davis.
Come! The village
Elders want us to learn!
What Will Happen in Our Village?
W
hen you go to the theater, the lights will dim and
the magic will begin. My dance company, the
African American Dance Ensemble, will show you some of
the ways that people in Africa celebrate together in their
communities. Our program is called “See the Rhythm/Hear
the Movement.”
akonting
Sometimes a special part of this program will focus on a
marvelous musical instrument. This original dance performance,
called “Bluegrass/Brown Earth,” connects the musical history of
two continents—Africa and North America. It tells the story of a
musical instrument’s journey. In Africa this instrument is made
of a wooden neck, strings, and a gourd. What instrument do you
think it is? In Africa we call it an akonting. When my African
ancestors came to America as slaves, they brought their music
with them. Here in America the akonting became the banjo,
heard often in bluegrass music, and seen in this
performance. Music and dance are two of the many things
people everywhere can share and enjoy.
banjo
What to Look For and Things to Do
H
Look For
Our dancing comes from actions that people do in real life. For example, when
we reach toward the ground we remember the source of our food. When you
watch us dance, try to remember some of the movements we make. After the
performance, talk with your class and friends about what you saw and what you
think the movements mean. Will there be many correct answers? Yes!
J
Do
To think and move like a dancer, recall something you do
and make that movement with your body. Maybe it’s combing
your hair or kicking a ball. Next, embellish that movement,
making it bigger and more exciting. Put your whole body
into it. It’s okay if the movement changes a lot, but try to
keep your basic idea inside it. Move it into different parts of
your body, and give it a name.
Teach your movement to your classmates, and then you can
connect everybody’s moves together to make a dance.
Next, try doing your movement to music, preferably
something with a lot of drumming. How does that music
change what you do? Does it make you go faster or slower?
What else does it change? Try the dance again with different
music and see what happens.
H
Look For
Where is the music in our performance
coming from? How do the dancers and
musicians work together? Identify the
types of instruments.
J
Do
Make your own music with rhythm
sticks, or even drumming with pencils,
and do your movement or your class
dance while creating rhythmic sound.
What changes? What stays the same?
How is it to do these two things
simultaneously? What parts of your
brain are you using when you dance?
When you play music? Are they
the same?
Who and What Makes a Dance?
H
ow many ways can you move by yourself? With others? This
is the language and joy of dancing. As a choreographer my job is
to choose among many, many possibilities of movement and sequence
them for the dancers. Every word in a sentence counts, and every
move in a dance counts.
We think about dancing high or low (levels) and how fast we should
move (tempo). Together we also plan the path to travel (curves, straight
lines, zigzags, and diagonals). The shapes the dancers make with their
bodies are important, and often making interesting shapes requires
good balance.
In African dance we utilize our bodies to the fullest
extent—jumping, running, stretching, reaching, and
walking. This reminds me of the African proverb, “If you
can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing.”
We use our body parts to keep in time with the rhythms
provided by the musicians. Rhythms are very, very
important in our dances.
All these elements are the parts of a dancer’s special
language that uses non-verbal communication
to talk with you as audience members.
Quite special magic! Don’t you agree?
Who Am I and What is
My Company?
I
n 1968 I was a dancer who began a new dance
company in New York City named the
Chuck Davis Dance Company. It thrived and became
one of the nation’s best-known African American dance
groups. In 1980 the American Dance Festival invited us
to come to Durham to perform. People enjoyed
the presentation so much they invited the company
to create another unit in North Carolina called the
African American Dance Ensemble. This made me
happy because I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 1977 I began going to Africa every year to listen to
the elders and to learn new dances and music. Also that
year I created the DanceAfrica Festival so that people in
America could see the authentic culture of Africa. It has
great meaning and guidance for me, and perhaps for you,
too. For this reason I still go to Africa every year.
In 1984 I started the African American Dance Ensemble.
Its permanent “village” is in Durham, North Carolina,
and I am its artistic director. We love traveling and
sharing our ideas with you, wherever you are! With
our dancing we ask you to look at all parts of life.
We try to show the good, and we try to make
the bad better. We firmly believe doing this
with dance makes the world a better place.
I have had many honors in my
lifetime, including having my
dancers and musicians perform
for you. I am grateful!
Special Words in Our Village
Agoo (ah-go): the call of “Are you
listening?” or “May I have your attention?”
(from Ghana, a country in West Africa)
Amee (ah-may): the response of “I am
listening.” (from Ghana)
Artistic Director: the person who chooses
what and when dances will be performed
and how new dancers will be trained.
Bantaba: the dancing ground where
important events happen. (from Gambia, a
country in West Africa)
Choreographer: the person who decides
how the dancers will move.
Dance Company: a group of people
who dance together often and who
are usually paid to do that. Like
athletes, dancers have trained
hard for many years.
Beyond the Village Boundaries
Even when they seem very different, our
“villages” are very connected. I know that
when you travel with peace, love, and respect
for everybody you can change the world.
“Agoo”? “Are you listening?”
I hope you will see what else you can learn
by visiting these other “villages.”
They are in libraries and on the Internet.
Books:
African Art in Motion
by Robert Farris Thompson
I See the Rhythm by Tyomi Isgus
Katherine Dunham: Pioneer of Black Dance
by Barbara O’Connor
Great African Americans in Arts by Carlotta Hacker
DVD:
Being a Good Member
of the Village
T
he village Elders want peace, love, and respect for
everybody! When you have something important
to say, do you like it when others pay attention? The
dancers and musicians on the bantaba (dancing ground)
are using their talents to speak to you. When you talk or
move they can hear and see you, which makes their
work very difficult. It also makes it difficult for others to
receive the gifts the dancers and musicians are offering.
We may ask you to join in our celebration during the
performance. That’s another way to show your respect
by doing what we ask. When the performance is over
show your appreciation with applause. This will make
the elders smile!
Credits
Writing: F. Lynne Bachleda
Graphic Design: Lisa Creed of Credo Design
Printing: Theo Davis
Photography: Cover: David Harrison
All other photographs: Jim Beckwith
Funded by the North Carolina Arts Council,
a division of the Department of Cultural Resources,
a state agency, Lisbeth C. Evans, Secretary.
African Healing Dance Starring Wyoma (Netflix
and amazon.com)
Music:
Ancient Heart: Mandinka and Fulani Music
of the Gambia
Drums of Passion by Babatunde Olatunji
Internet Sources about Dr. Chuck
Davis and the African American
Dance Ensemble:
www.africanamericandanceensemble.org/about.htm
www.pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/biographies/davis.html
Internet Source about the Banjo
and Bluegrass Music:
www.countrymusichalloffame.com
(In search box type “banjo” or “bluegrass.”
The “banjo” page has audio.)
African American Dance Ensemble
at the Durham Arts Council
120 Morris Street
Durham, North Carolina 27701
919.560.2729
Fax: 919.560.2743
email: aadedance@earthlink.net