"Wade in the Water" Blog

I began the blog by finding what I thought were the most important points of definition of black dance in the two essays.  Thompson says, "the Negro is an heir to an aesthetic of the cool and [white people] are not.  It is cool to sweeten hurt with song and motion; it is hot to concentrate upon the pain."  It also has a "ration between the senses - feel touch earth, ears hear drumming, eyes study gesture."  The dancers are barefoot and there is a constantly changing percussive element to this interpretation of the song.  They also take full advantage of their body's movement capabilities.  The lyrics serve as the moral function of the music.

According to Malone, "black dance is a source of energy, joy, and inspiration."  It has an element of freedom of expression that makes it unique.  The black aesthetic utilizes the entire body and continuum of movement possibilities to appeal to the "visual and aural senses".  In this version of "Wade in the Water" the dance troupe accomplishes this through their use of colors (white and blue) as well as their mixture of elegant and percussive movements.

The dancers also use a form of showcasing where the dancer with the umbrella is backed up by the other two dancers or the dancer at the end the 

male dancer with the stick is also showcased by the other performers.