ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a form of African dance called the circle dance. Circle dances are found in many cultures throughout the world, but they hold particular significance in an African context. The shape of a circle holds a great deal of meaning and importance to African identity. It represents wholeness, interconnectedness, unity, and eternity. It also investigates the way these values are represented in the circle dance and mirrored in an ideal African approach to leadership. The circle dance provides the people with some major themes found in traditional African leadership. These themes include: the significance of collaboration, active participation, and consensus; identity founded on one's relationship with others; the expectation that leaders be authentic; and the significance of shared cultural beliefs. The first aspect of African leadership highlighted in the circle dance is the importance of collaboration. To understand leadership in an African context, one also needs to acknowledge the importance of Africa's tribal and religious cultural legacies.
