Top 10 African Dance moves you’re yet to see

10 Traditional African Dance that you’ve never seen before

Dancing is an art of expressing one’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and most importantly, passing a message. The extent to which these messages are conveyed in their chorographical expression is what makes them unique. While the westerners have ballet dance which originated from Italy, Africa has the Agbadza dance which originated from Ghana, and Adumu dance which originated from Kenya, among other vast varieties of dancing styles across the continent. African dancing steps generally fall into three distinct categories, rituals, ceremonials, and storytelling. In no particular order, here are the 10 traditional African dances, you’ve never seen before.Stay tuned!

10. San DancingThe San tribe of Botswana is regarded as one of the oldest tribes on earth, and so is their dancing style. Like many other African traditional dances, the San dancing style requires fast movement and singing with complex rhythms. Beyond entertainment, this dance is often used to attain a state of altered consciousness and for healing the sick.

9. Tsuwe-tsele DanceThis iconic cat dance of the Tiv, people of Benue Nigeria is called ‘tsuwe tsele’ dance. It is a special dance mimicking a cat. The dancers adopt extremely flexible moves akin to the mannerisms of a cat. It is used in many ceremonies with usually a mixture of male and female dancers dressed in animal skin with their faces covered in masks or dressed in the foremost Tiv regalia of black and white stripes clothing.

8. Atilogwu DanceThis traditional African dance has often been referred to as “Acrobatic Dance” outside of Nigeria. Atilogwu dance is a traditional dance of the eastern part of Nigeria and it involves extreme acrobats. This ceremonial dance is often performed by able-bodied men due to its serious body movement and acrobatic performance. Beyond that, it is entertaining and, as the name implies, “it is magic!” Atilogwu is often accompanied by rhythms and Igbo traditional musical instruments.

7. Mbira DanceAfricans believe in supernatural beings which are often referred to as spirits. They believe that these spirits can be invoked through various means. Particularly in the Shona tribe of Zimbabwe, they believe that dancing can help invoke ancestral spirits. As such, this popular traditional African dance is performed by the Shona people of Zimbabwe during the bira ceremony to invoke the ancestral spirit.

6. Ikpirikpi Ogu DanceThis war dance originated from Abia State in the Eastern part of Nigeria. This traditional dance is performed by able-bodied and muscular men who will dress in war attires. Ikpirikpi Ogu dance is a ceremonial dance performed to celebrate war heroes. Up till today, this ancient tradition is still in practice, however, it is now in celebration of victory and achievements, such as in graduation.

5. Moribayasa DanceFor a long time, the African community has been battling with difficulties and hardship, including poverty, hunger, and illness, which are still predominant up till today. This, exactly, is the origin of the Moribayasa dance by the people of Guinea. This dance can be referred to as victory or celebration dance as it is performed to celebrate a woman’s victory of difficult moments.

4. Lamban DanceWe have come across different ceremonial dances that are noteworthy but this is a griotic or storytelling dance. Storytelling is an ancient African tradition where elders teach young folks wisdom in entertaining and alluring ways. But storytelling can be much more fun! Lamban dance is Mali traditional dance that can be performed by just a person or a small group of people.

3. Indlamu DanceNext is the Indlamu dance of the Zulu tribe of South Africa. This popular African traditional dance is often referred to as the warrior dance, being mostly performed by warriors. It involves vigorous and frequent body movement, but beyond that, it portrays strength and prowess in fighting, it also represents dominance and self-control. This dancing style is a ceremonial dance often performed during weddings, preparation for war, and in the time of harvesting.

2. Adumu DanceThe second on our list of most popular African traditional dances is the Adumu dance, a traditional dancing style that involves jumping, and it is performed by the Maasai tribe of Tanzania and Kenya. Beyond that, this dancing step is often performed by able-bodied men, mostly young warriors, during important occasions such as initiation, weddings, and rites of passage.

1. Agbadza DanceAgbadza dance is a popular music and dance which originated from the Ewe tribe of Ghana. This dancing step originated from an ancient war dance referred to as Atrikpui, but it has been converted into a ceremonial or festive dance. Notably, it is mostly choreographed during the Hogbetsotso festival of the Anlo Ewe people.