"Wade in the Water" Blog

The dancing done in the clip shows a certain flow of movement in correlation to the music. There is a moment where the dancers are dancing with a call and response rhythm. A male and female dancer were doing the same movements and turned to go behind the other dancers so they could echo the movements that were just done. That practice of call and response happens for about three dance sections. There is a more precise moment of call and response when the female dancer is holding the umbrella with one hand and waving her hand over a dancer with the other hand. When she waves her hand over the dancer they move up and down as to be baptized in the water by the woman. There is also an example of dance of derision where the dancers are re-enacting the idea of wading in the water. Their slow rhythmic movement gives the illusion that they are swimming or moving through water. Malone calls the interaction of the song and dance done by the dancers “dancing the song.” The dancers have an “ecstasy of motion” through their free flowing movement while using the swaying of their heads to make the movement more dramatic. The performance overall takes the “aesthetic of cool” and brings it to life through the dancers calculated and rhythmic steps while making it look effortless.