ABSTRACT
Since dance was a fundamental element of the spectacle drama context in which African object performance occurred, this chapter examines the history of Black dance in the United States in order to de-invisibilize the legacy of object performance in the Black Atlantic. Tracing a lineage that begins with Afro-Iberian processions and stretches through plantation dances like the Ring Shout and Buzzard Lope illustrates the contributions of Juba and breakdowns to the evolution of rhythm tap. The participation of African students in the Hampton Institute Creative Dance Group and the arrival of Asadata Dafora in New York City sparked a re-infusion of African dance into African American dance. Pioneering anthropologists Zora Neale Hurston, Katherine Dunham, and Pearl Primus conducted fieldwork in the Caribbean and Africa seeking authentic Black cultural forms. Their work influenced subsequent dancers like Geoffrey Holder and Alvin Ailey. Although African American concert dance could not revive the original form and function of African masquerade, these practitioners all appreciated African performing objects and used their personal collections of artifacts to educate the public about the Africanist aesthetic.
