Dance for Children: A Functional Education for National Growth

   

Cyrus Damisa SURU Ph.D

Lecturer,

Department of Theatre and Cultural Studies,

Nasarawa State University,

P.M.B.1022, Keffi Nigeria.

Phone: 08074505896/08035042011

E-mail: damisasuru@gmail.com

Introduction

Dance is not an exclusive reserve of the adults. It is an act and art that accommodates all living creatures; human beings, animals, birds and so on. For instance, birds do courtship dance before mating. This is evidenced among the western grebe courtship dance, “before mating, western grebes perform unique courtship dances”, as cited in the Encarta Encyclopaedia (2008). Post – modern dancers also share this view, that dance is not restricted to living things alone; that even non-living things like trees, stones, engines etc. indulge in dance in one way or another. However, human beings communicate more through dance than the inanimate or non-living things. Alwin Nicholas, Alvin Ailey and Merci Cunningham are among others who hold this view. What then is dance?  Attempts have been made by several scholars of dance to provide suitable answers to this seemingly simple question. Scholars in our list include, Ojuade (2004) Amali (2005), Harper, Akunna (2005), Badejo (2006), Yerima (2006), Molokwu, Akinsipe (2006), Udoka, Bakare, and Ugolo (2007). They say; dance is a human expression in space through body movements and other dance elements to make statements about the immediate or cognate environment. For instance, Badejo (2006, p.204) writing on Hausa Bori ritual dance, says: 

Dance in Bori religion, serves as a means of communication between man and spirits, as a means of preservation of some non-Islamic practices, and as a means of traditional therapeutic healing and medicine. It also serves as a means of exhibiting the traditional Hausa society’s relationship with the forces that govern their daily lives.     

Badejo’s definition posits dance as been capable to communicate, preserve, heal, and meet the society’s needs. Agreeing with the above, Olomu (2007, p.27) stresses that:

Dance is an activity very intimately connected with the human condition; it reveals many aspects of human development. In dance, the only instrument used is the body itself…The texture of dance is the movement of the dancer, and no other media are necessary to reveal expression, symbolism, and eventually poetry, non-verbally. Perhaps nowhere else has man ever expressed himself so directly and completely as through dance.  

Tracing dance to man’s existence, Enem (1975, p.68) maintains that “dancing is an instinct as old as man’s existence on earth. In its simplest form it prompts such reactions as jumping for joy, weeping, raging and of course laughing.” Children are not left out of these emotional actions.  They enjoy music and dancing just like their parents or the adults in the society. Children as described by the sociologists grow from the cooing stage to the imitation stage. They learn by imitation. Therefore, they imitate the adults whenever they make any body movement such as walking and dancing in addition to the natural instinct to dance. Apart from the fact that they observe and imitate adults when they indulge in dance movements, they also acquire or are taught traditional dance movements during rites-of-passages such as initiations, where they are taught good conduct, socio-cultural values, morality and so on. This act is fading and tilting towards extinction owing to Western education, religion, culture and modern technology occasioned by technological explosion and globalization, and this is inimical to the growth of the Nigerian child, and Nigeria in general.

Albeit, dance features in celebrations and graduations, parents appreciate dance among children at such occasions as something so “beautiful to behold”. But, they regard it as a profession for the “never-do-wells” and thus stigmatize anyone who dances as a wastrel. It is noticeable in contemporary society that parents have implanted this inglorious impression about dance into the psyche of their children and it translates into lack of interest in dance studies at any level of education or institutions of learning. This is evidenced in the infinitesimal number of students who take dance as their major in the universities where theatre studies is taught. Parents in Nigeria, as elsewhere in Africa, tend to dictate life for their children. They have neglected dance, the first medium of functional education known to man. Noting this untoward attitude by parents on their children and wards, Nwosu (2006, p.34), quoting from Nigeria and the Rights of the Child 2000, elaborates that:

-       Every child has the right to life and be allowed to

      survive and develop.

 – Every child is entitled to a name, family and nationality.

 – Every child is free to belong to any association

        or assembly according to law.

 –Every child has the right to express opinions and freely

    communicate them on any issue or subject without restriction

     under  law. 

       As it were, a child has right to life, to be named, to associate, to express opinion and communicate freely be it in dance or otherwise.  It is our opinion that children’s interest in dance should be sustained and not left to the whims and caprices of their parents if he or she must grow healthy and intellectually. Schools, particularly the elementary schools, have not included dance studies in their curriculum.  It is germane to point out that dance education amongst primary school children is germane to enhance a child to grow physically, emotionally, psychologically, and intellectually strong.  However, children are denied this basic form of education whenever they are prevented from participating in dance activity. According to the United Nation Convention on the Rights of a Child, it is declared that, “All children have the right to education that would help develop their personality and talents; their parents, culture and Language” and in extension the nation. This paper therefore considers dance to be a vital tool for the proper growth of a child and the nation.

Dance and Children Conceptualized                  

                   Dance is the first known traditional form of theatre given to a child. This explains why it stands out as the mother of all other arms of the theatre; drama, music, poetry, puppetry, and so on. A child’s first form of theatre is the entertainment from the mother in lullaby, child tossing and throwing up and down, body shaking and twisting etc. Children’s theatre is therefore an offshoot of dance for children. It is in the light of the above that several attempts have gone into the area of children’s theatre; in respect of it being a form of child-centred education and a macrocosm of the essence of dance for and by children.  Ododo (2000, p.142) affirms that the child-centred education is that which “focuses on how the child rapidly fruits up in knowledge acquisition and utilitarian values”. Ododo further outlines and defines the three most common kinds and types of approaches to the concept of ‘Children’s Theatre’ being an umbrella name for all that children can do in representative art; drama, dance, puppetry and masquerading. According to Ododo (2000, p.143) these three kinds are:

            -Theatre for children by adults

            -Theatre with children, and

            -Theatre by children.

We however advocate that the genre of theatre suitable to Ododo’s concept and approach is dance-theatre. Udengwu (2002, p.138) did not agree less and affirms that children’s theatre is “a forum in which children are taken through the processes of theatre from the conception of idea to its artistic concretization and final display before an audience” Dance is the closest to the forms of play and interest of children. We do not tow the path of the argument above to claim superiority of dance over other forms of theatre, as that will be pointless. The whole argument of choice and preferences is geared towards focusing our attention on the issue at stake, dance for children. In Okwori (1986, p.2)’s words “the goals of children’s drama (dance or theatre in general) is not performance or the final production but the process of developing skills in children by engaging them in a creative process”. There are scanty pieces of evidence as to the evolvement of policies and enforcement of a concerted governmental agenda at teachings and explorations of educational methodologies via the medium of dance. However, one such record is contained in the communiqué of the National Symposium of Nigerian Dance at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan (1986, p.3). It was organized by the National Council for Arts and Culture from the 7th – 11th July, in wish experts were drawn from dance educators, researchers and so on (Nigerian Dance Scholars Round-table Discussion was organised by Dance Scholars in Nigeria in April 26-28, 2013). They validated and suggested the teaching and study of dance in the Nigerian schools to be made compulsory. In one of their resolutions, as contained in the communiqué, they call on the Nigerian government to:

                  1. Promote a dynamic and committed National Cultural

       Policy on dance that,

(a) can serve as an umbrella for National Unity,

(b) our diverse and vibrant dance culture can be

 preserved and harnessed towards the realization

 of our national objectives,

(c) a national dance idiom can be evolved.

                  2. Include the study of dance in both primary and

                       secondary school syllabus i.e. the 6-3-3-4

                        educational system etc.

 The suggestions above remain as opinions of some individuals. In fact, primary school children are becoming increasingly disinterested in dance, this is worrisome. Wendy (1981, p.iv) observes, “We know now that if a child is interested in a subject, his ability to absorb knowledge is very great, but if a child is not particularly interested or if he or she is actually bored, then the rate of learning will be much slower”.  We acknowledge that children in primary schools indulge in dance only during special occasions in schools. These are occasions like inter-house sports, graduation ceremonies, anniversaries and so on.  From observations, these children do not understand the dance and they are often ‘coerced’ into doing it. Armed with the above information and understanding, one can  develop a curriculum for dance in the primary schools which will facilitate to refreshing a child’s love and interest in dance as in the traditional setting and for a life time.

Dance Training for Children

 Teaching dance form among children (ages 6-12 years) will require the following steps or ideas. These steps are borne from our understanding and knowledge of the psychology of the child based on an experiment, from beginning to end, participant-observer methodology of data collection, carried out at the Christ field International School, Lokoja, Kogi State. There, we discovered that children love doing what adults do. And, that a child learns by imitation which usually results from his trust for, and dependence on the adults and also by working in collaboration with his peers. Giving acknowledgment to this assertion, Worugji (2006, p.19) affirms that:

The saying that no man is an Island comes into play here, as children come to realize that the success of their learning needs a communal effort. Children learn to cooperate with others, to plan together, enact ideas together and to tolerate one another. Participation gives children confidence in themselves. It boosts their ego and gives them an improved self concept of their person…It is true that the child learns when he is instructed on what to do but he learns faster through participation (doing)…

Therefore, working with children in groups, in a dance workshop, will not only help the children to find themselves, but help them to build confidence and self-actualization, the weapon with which to lead a more balanced life. In this regard, a dance workshop with children could take the following steps:    

1. Ask the children what they know about dance.

This first steps will allow the children to give one their concepts and understanding of dance. Children between the ages six and twelve as stated above have their own experiences and ideas of dance which might be useful to the teacher. Furthermore, it will afford one the opportunity to choose a dance form that is not beyond one’s intellectual, emotional and physical capabilities.

2. Ask them to teach you a dance.

This may sound funny but it will stimulate their enthusiasm. Usually, children sing and dance when they play. A teacher of dance will be wise enough to get steps from their game-plays. For example:

A – a – a – be – say     x2

A – a – Abe – A say

Ibe – say

A – a – Abe – A say  x2

Ibe – say

All – all – of – us

All – of – us

The game above involves two children. They dance to the rhythm of hand clapping which also involves movements like leaping, jumping and turning around of both children. This is an attempt to get them interested in dance through a game that requires body movements.

3. Ask each of them to demonstrate dances from their culture.

  Usually, children shy away from this aspect because their “colonized parents” and educational background may have taken them away from their culture. But it is believed that some of them will be bold to teach traditional dances that they have seen on television or witnessed during festivals, among other ceremonies. However poor a child demonstrates the dance steps/movements, the whole class should applaud him or her. This show of appreciation might motivate other responses.

4. Give them dance steps.

The idea of dance steps must be relevant to the children’s experiences. The teacher should group them, with each group having a step to learn and master. The result is that the learning of this step may lead to movement exercise. Thus they will be physically and mentally ready for the next stage.

5. Build their confidence.

 Among the factors that may cause a child to be a slow starter are “poor ability, emotional disturbances, tension”, and so on concludes, Wendy Ijioma (1981:iv). Building their confidence may include confidence in them and confidence in you (the teacher). This process will involve allowing them to create steps around a subject or object. One can ask them to sing and dance to the song:

Limbo limbo limbo like me

Limbo limbo like me…

Dance o dance o dance o like me

Dance o dance o like me etc.

Boys and girls limbo like me

Limbo limbo like me…

One may also ask them to imitate monkey movements in dance or other animals or birds. By so doing, one is inadvertently giving them confidence in creativity and interest in the workshop and the delight of having taken part in a creative experience.

6. Come down to their level.

 The proverb “if you must catch a monkey, you have to learn to behave like one”, is required here. Children find it difficult to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Care must be taken to give them danceable and interesting steps. That is, steps that they conversant with. The steps should be related to the children’s everyday life. Also, the steps must be easy and flexible to accommodate their perception of life. The teacher must first show these steps to them in his own bodily movement to catch and sustain their interest. He should appreciate their cartilaginous bones and soft muscles in his choice of steps.

7. Give them light exercise and develop from there.

The exercise must be very entertaining and very easy. The teacher should incorporate the use of songs and music. Exercises apart from preparing the muscles and bones ready for movements and dances, it also facilitates unity, trust, and concentration among the children. Through this body exercises, dance movements/steps will be introduced. Movements, which should include action and motion packed concept should be introduced. Thus we have, jumping, juggling, walking, stepping, locomotion, gliding, dabbing, stillness and so on to encourage children to develop a personal involvement in dance.

8. Create a dance improvisation.

The children could create a dance improvisation from one of their popular traditional or ethnic songs. For example, these two popular Yoruba hide and seek children dance/play-songs could be utilized; “Boju boju”  and “ Talo wa ninu ogba na?”

 Yoruba song

(1)    Boju Boju o                               Translation      

                                                                     Go into hiding

                                                         The masquerader is coming

                                                          Whoever he catches

Oloro nbo o                                       He will kill and eat.

 Epa ara mo o o

Se ki nsiss

Si si sin sii o o

Eni t’oloro bam u

A a paa je

O o

A a paa je o

O o e

                                                                   

             Yoruba song                                                     Translation

2)Ta lo wa ninu Ogba na ?                                Who is in the garden

Omo kekere kan ni                                            A little small girl

Se nwa wo                                                        Can I come and see her?                   Mawa wo                                                          No- no- no-no

Omo ban tu ti nbe                                              I beg my sister follow me.

Nibi tele mi ka lo.

To experiment with the above songs however, Rita and Wendy (1980, p.1) advise that, “children should leave the dance lesson conscious of having taken part in something alive and exciting… aware, however vaguely, that their bodies have been used to express in dance some part of their own experience”. Using songs and dances from individual child’s environment to improvise a dance will make them have some sense of attachment in terms of identity and relevance.

9. Group them into various dance cultures with assignments.

Assignment challenges children to be serious. The serious ones might even ask their parents to teach them their traditional dances which could be useful to their group. However, Rita and Wendy (1980, p.2) again advise that the grouping “should take into consideration the movement characteristics of the class, the children’s intellectual development and social and cultural background”. Each group will present their improvised dances and the role is to encourage them and then help to develop the children’s artistic judgment. The movements that were poorly done will be corrected and restructured to give it a pleasing presentation.

10. Take them to watch live performances, video or film shows on dance presentations.

Here, to add to their knowledge, and to encourage them in the act or art of dance, the Arts councils, private dance companies or any theatre dance outfit could be visited to watch live performances on dance, video clips of indigenous dances and so on.

11. Package and present a dance.

This final step will include chosen dance script that is not far from their environment and experiences; for example a story about “domestic chores” that allows movement possibilities. The children will be auditioned and cast into various characters and movements. Their actions and movements should be taught. After a few days’ rehearsals, the dance production could be done in the school hall, the stadium or at the government house with their parents and government officials in attendance. For post-production analyses the production should be recorded on video tape, to be reviewed by the pupils themselves as a feedback of their efforts to sustain their interest in dance.

Conclusion

              Dance for children, as in other genre of the theatre – music, drama, puppetry,   etc, should be accorded its own unique and dignified position as a compulsory, academic exercise, whose rudimentary knowledge should commence at the primary/ school level of education. Similarly, parents should discontinue the attitude of dictating, and dissuading their children from choosing dance and dance studies as a career. Equally, institutions of learning where a dance study is taught should ensure that “dance for children” is incorporated into their curriculum.

                Preventing children from engaging in dance on the basis of religious injunctions, economic and social imperatives and the non-inclusion of dance in the school curriculum, is an infringement on the basic fundamental right of the child. It is believed that if children are allowed to participate fully and actively in dance, dance aridity and apathy will be eliminated from their psyche.  For this reason, the concerned authorities should try to enlighten, educate and persuade parents and religious organizations to fund the construction of well equipped dance studios in all the primary schools in communities where they live.

              

Works Cited

Badejo, P. (2006). Dance and music: Essential elements of bori  survival. Critical Perspective on Dance in Nigeria. In Ahmed Yerima, Bakare & Udoka (Eds.).  (pp. 192-211). Ibadan:  kraft Books Ltd.

Enem, E. (1975). Nigerian dances, Nigeria Magazine Festival Issues NOs 115 – 116, Lagos:

Nigeria Magazine. pp 67-71. 

Gordon, M. (2008). Encarta Encyclopaedia Microsoft (R) 2008. (c 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.

Nwosu, C.C (2006). The hanging Nigerian family and the right of the child  in Bassey

Ubong’s freeworld square APPLAUSE, Journal of Theatre and Media Studies vol. 1 No.2. pp. 31-49.

Ododo, S.E. (2000). Children’s theatre, theatre technology and child-centred education. The

Performer: Ilorin: Ilorin Journal for the Performing Arts . Vol. 1 no. 2. pp. 141-154.

Okwori, J. (1986). Children in the theatre: Towards a redefinition of theatre for children in

school curriculum”. An unpublished conference paper/report of national symposium on dance, university of Ibadan, Ibadan. 7th – 11th. pp. 1-12.

Rita, A and Wendy, B. (1980). Dance in education. London: Dance Books Ltd.

Udengwu, N. (2002). Children’s theatre and participation in a democratic society. Theatre and

Democracy in Nigeria in Ahmed Yerima and Ayo Akinwale (Eds.). (pp. 136-147) Ibadan: Kraft Books Limited.

United nation’s convention on the rights of the child. (1998). Article 28 & 29.

Wendy, I. (1981). Teaching english in the primary school. Lagos: Macmillan Nigerian

             Publishers Ltd.  

Worugji, G. (2006). Drama as instrument for child development. APPLAUSE, Journal of

             Theatre and Media Studies vol. 1 No.2 pp. 15-30.

Break and Mould the Dancer: Bakare Ojo Rasaki’s Technique of Training.

SURU, Cyrus Damisa PhD.

Lecturer,

Department of Theatre and Cultural Studies,

Nasarawa State University,

P.M.B.1022, Keffi, Nigeria.

Phone: +234 8035042011 / +234 8074505896.

E-mail: damisasuru@gmail.com

 Introduction

          “Everybody can dance, only a dancer can perform”. This was the maxim that came from Bakare Ojo-Rasaki to us, the newly recruited dance artistes, as a Dance instructor/Choreographer and Cultural –Troupe-Builder (in conjunction with John Egugu Illah), of the the Kogi State Council for Arts and Culture, Lokoja where this researcher was a dancer (invited then from the Niger State Troupe – The Gwape International)in 1993.  From those words, in spite of the experience gathered as a dancer, this researcher started to learn to draw a dichotomy between a dancer and a dance-performer. Also, reading Bakare (2007, p. 272)’s article, Singing Old Tunes: Critical Comments on Welsh Asante’s African Dance he reference Pearl Primus’s comment on dance training in Africa that:

There is a distinction between the trained dancer and somebody who just dances...the professional dancer must have been trained from childhood to be a dancer. Having shown special talent and skills, for rhythm and dance language, he is apprenticed to a master dancer who employs whatever methodology he feels is appropriate to take this apprentice through a rigorous dance training programme. The dancer-to-be then learns traditional dances of the people.

Reminiscent of Bakare’s reference to Pearl, dancing is one of the most natural things to execute among the external prevalence and activities bestowed on man.  In other words, the act of movement merged with feelings and emotions is paramount in the life of humans. That explains the “everybody can dance” and the other sub-quote “only a dancer can perform” is predicated upon the skilful application of the natural and ordinary movements in an extraordinary manner through training, for entertainment, education and, information, also as source of finance, which are regarded as the pivot of dance professionalism in the society.  Shaibu Husseini (2006, p.296) comments that:

Training is what separates a dancer artiste from say a club dancer. Because dance as an art form makes use of the human body, scholars have stressed that only a sound training in movement techniques can lead to a better manipulation of the body lines, curves, skeletal and muscular control and other variations in movement and velocity. This is where a professional dance artiste differs from those who can merely move to rhythm.

It then indicates that there are two types of dancers in the society; the born-dancers and the made–dancers. The born-dancer is a natural and talented dancer who executes rhythmic movements naturally and merely for self excitement or aggrandisement or for the delight of others – the informal spectator/audience. On the other hand, this study considers the made-dancer as that skilled and creative dancer who may be a born-dancer or not but, with adequate training, developed the techniques of performance-communication to entertaining, educating and, informing a formal or an informal spectator/audience. In the words of Suru C. Damisa (2012, p.1):

          Dance is concerned with the use of body gesture, body movements and other dance elements for expression. The elements being referred to here are: rhythm, time, space, dynamics, costume, props, make-up, music,   drama, and so on. Dance messages are communicated using the elements mentioned above and through signs and symbols to impact on the life of the people.    

Suru personifies dance as a living communication tool. This is where the dancer needs adequate training. Thus, this kind of dancer needs the expertise training of a professional and, this is where Bakare Ojo-Rasaki’s didactic technique of training comes handy; break, then mould the dancer.

Bakare Ojo-Rasaki and Dance

          The title of this paper is borne from the flyer, Musing on Bakare, Ojo Rasaki @ 50, 2014 which was put out to scholars to contribute papers in honour of the great professor of choreography. The eulogy that x-rayed his contributions to the theatre world in the flyer notwithstanding, did not include his technique of ‘Breaking and Moulding the Dancer’ which this researcher is privy to, adopting the participant-observer methodology from the knowledge received  through training by him as a cultural dancer in the Kogi State Arts Council added to secondary sources as support.

A cursory look at some of the lyrical movements of the write-up (divided into three parts for emphasis) serves to illuminate the above. The first part states for instance that:

          He joined the Yoruba Travelling Theatre movement. He consequently plied his trade under Jimoh Aliu’s cultural troupe and the late Hubert Ogunde, who has been acclaimed the doyen of professional theatre in Nigeria. Rising from this humble beginning, today, Rasaki is Nigeria’s first professor of Choreography... He is also the Artistic Director of Nigeria’s National Carnival... In his career, Bakare has directed over 200 major theatrical performances.  Over sixty percent of these were commissioned high profile command performances.  In fact, three of these were for Presidential inauguration ceremonies.

The above is a laconic chronicle of Ojo Bakare’s sojourn in the theatre world. He is privileged to have received his early theatre, dance and choreography training from popular theatre legends like Jimoh Aliu, Hubert Ogunde, including Arnold Udoka and a few others. They could have informed his didactic technique of impacting dance training on other naive dance artistes as a way to contributing his own quota to the society. Noorbakhsh Hooti and Nasser Meleki (2009) stress that “man cannot devote himself thoroughly just to his family, but he has equal responsibility to his own society. Though man’s character is shaped by society, yet his impact upon society is inevitable as well.” The flyer adds his achievements which have brought him to an enviable and respected position in the national and International theatre space.

          The second part is an expository of his academic “onslaught” via the publications of plays such as “This Land Must Sacrifice; Drums of War; Rogbodiyan; Once Upon A Tower; The gods and The Scavengers; Voyage; Sekere and The Parable of Many Seeds; Adanma; The Fate of Ejima; Etutu and over thirty other unpublished stage plays that were produced and performed with rewarding and outstanding successes”. (It is imperative to mention here that this researcher, apart from reading most of these plays also, played the character, Ogbegun, in the premier performance of the play Drums of War). The enumerated plays above have only explained to us that he is a dramaturge and a good scholar. And, that he has contributed to alleviate the dearth of African theatre literature and the demonstration of the performative art in the views of theatre enthusiasts.   

The third part which aligns with the focus of this paper, in a seemingly similar note, is his dance and choreography accounts. The flyer on Bakare, Ojo Rasaki @ 50 stresses that:

However, it is perhaps in Dance and Choreography that Rasaki has achieved his most enduring legacies.  Today, Dancerasaki is the leading Nigerian dance scholar, the most sought-after Nigerian Choreographer and Dance Trainer and the most revered dance adjudicator.  He has worked directly with, and influenced most Nigerian dance practitioners, taught and trained many of those who teach and intellectualize Dance and Choreography today. His numerous choreographed works are found in the repertoires of most dance troupes in Nigeria and beyond... His Choreography – Sekai Aiki won the First Prize for Nigeria at the Spring Friendship Festival, North Korea in 1997.

The alighted portion of this quotation is a truism of his immense contributions to dance and choreography scholarship in Nigeria and beyond. A quick addition is Bakare’s scholarly battle for dance and choreography in Africa. For instance, Bakare  (2007, p.267) challenged the lack of adequate knowledge of African dance thus:

          The popularity of dance as an art form in Africa notwithstanding, African dance has received limited scholarly attention. Even where such exists, apart from the fact that much of what exists came from Europe and the Americas, especially the Diaspora, it is largely anthropological and generic. Little scholarly attention has been given to the choreography of African dance and the technical devices proper to it.  

The question is, where lies his technique of training the trainer in the act and art of dance and choreography?  

Bakare’s Techniques of Training

          Bakare’s technique, to my knowledge and to many that have been privileged to be trained by him, in one way or another, is that of allowing the ‘talented’ or ‘professional’ dancer or dancers to execute movements naturally or according to their dance knowledge and cultural dance experiences from which the most appropriate and suitable steps are chosen and are fine-tuned, for aesthetic sake, by him for the dance package or performance. One of the methods of actualizing aesthetics by Bakare involves moving around the rehearsals venue while the dancers execute free or talented or even earlier choreographed dance movements, trying to visualize or picture how the audience will appreciate the dance performance. As it were, aesthetic imperative is very paramount in the theatre be it in a drama, music or dance performance. Musa, Rasheed Abiodun (2001, p.92) captures it for drama in this manner, “be it professional or academic theatre, the essence of any dramatic or theatrical experience is aesthetic success of such performance. Interestingly, the importance of the theatre director in the art of directing cannot be over-emphasized if aesthetic experience is contemplated”. Bakare’s experience as a dancer and a choreographer has been instrumental to his aesthetic packaging of dance performance.

Other addition to his technique of training is the art of giving the technical know-how in dance for effective out-put of performance and the maximisation of energy and appropriate use of the body in dance to avoid dance related injury. As succinctly put by Sherbon Elizabeth (1975, p.23):

          All artistic expression is based on craft, the technical control of a given instrument of expression... there are two concepts that can be immeasurable value in learning the craft of dance. Probably the most important is the idea of striving continuously for complete efficiency in movement. Use only the amount of energy needed to perform the desired movement. The energy should be exerted in the desired direction and in the sequential order needed to accomplish the wished-for effect. 

The above takes us back to the aphorism “everybody can dance, only a dancer can perform”. Using the appropriate body movements in dance comes with the questions; Why? When? Where? and How? Why this movement? When should I apply it? Is it okay at this time, space and venue? And, how will it be executed are some of the questions that a trained dancer should answer in a sharp reflex manner. That explains why Bakare must break the dancer.

Braking the Dancer

          Breaking the dancer is one of the techniques of Ojo BAkare in grooming his dancers. A dancer may be talented in act of dance but lacking the skills of performance (the dance art) and the proper way to sustain the energy needed for the performance, may be too stiff, and lacking the lubricant for malleability of body movements artfully.  That accounts for the reason why Bakare (1994, p.7) explains that:

There are certain fundamental principles guiding the preparation of dance and movement and without them dance may not be accomplished. They prepare the body for its functions and they are fundamental to the entire process of dance-making and dance production. The dancer sustains his carrier with these principles and can only acquire them through training. These principles are: Centring, Posture, Rhythm, Gravity, Balance, Breathing, Grounding and Space.

A dancer or talented dancer must be acquainted with these principles to be a broken dancer Bakare concluded. In an attempt to break, the Kogi State artiste-to-be, at the camp in Lokoja in 1993, Bakare, in a very serious note, warned the dancers to avoid heavy eating before rehearsals, drinking of beer which most Nigerian local artistes/dancers see as stimulants, better still, source for courage to face the audience and, baffling and puzzling too, is the non eating of fried meat, fish, plantain (dodo) and the likes which according to him could make the dancer weak, grow fat and heavy, even obese from the excessive oil intake. This last one was frowned at with the pessimism that he does not want the dancers to enjoy (but to endure) given the fact that, as at that time, we were not paid any salary or allowance. Added to the ‘punishment’ were the everyday road and stage exercises and all-night rehearsals. The ‘Ososa experience’ under Hubert Ogunde one might say. At this point, we all saw Bakare Ojo Rasaki as a god, who does not sleep and never tired because as we all slept mid-rehearsals he was always awake and walking around only to wake us up again to proceed with the rehearsals.

          Encouragingly, it was at that six months camp that many who were fat and bloated became trimmed to shape, light-weighted and flexible enough to execute hitherto difficult dance movements and also able to apply the principles enumerated by Bakare above in performances. Upon his departure, the artiste began to overdo the training. For instance, artiste dancers trained by jugging several kilometres during the day time, under the scorching sun, in the name of stamina could have been avoided.

Sadly, Bakare’s training was not sustained because after a few years, bad eating habits, lack of appropriate exercise and general laxity resumed and today, most of the artiste dancers are roundish, bloated and inactive. In addition, dancers, particularly in the arts councils, now eat uncontrollably and without caring about their health, body and the success of the dance profession. By so doing, they await re-deployment to other departments where they are no longer useful. Bakare’s method of breaking the dancer is now better understood.

Moulding the Dancer

          To mould the dancer is a germane procedure by a good choreographer. This is because the creativity of the dancer contributes, in no small measure, to articulating the message that the choreography is passing across to the audience through dance performance. Bakare (1994, p.2) puts it in this manner; “the dancer is to the choreographer what the actor is to the director. The choreographer creates while the dancer interprets what the choreographer creates, though the dancer himself needs some level of creativity to be able to interpret effectively.” The dancer needs moulding, moulding through adequate, consistent and perseverance trainings. Bakare understands that the artiste dancer must first of all be helped to discover himself as a creative individual. This believability usually comes from a dance instructor or choreographer who instils self- confidence, sociability, self-reliance, personality, co-cooperativeness in the dancer to encourage, build or promote his/her ability and potentiality. Kane J.E. (1972) did not agrees less and affirms that:

One explanation offered is that the environment in which physical abilities are displayed...constitute an ideal setting for the development of desirable personality characteristics such as confidence, sociability, self-reliance, co-cooperativeness and general personal adjustment.  

The dancer is moulded to have a good and great figure, to exhume beauty in dance, to have the shape of a model with self-confidence devoid of low self- esteem and, courage to believe in others and to also, have confidence in them. These are some of the qualities of a moulded artiste dancer.

Conclusion

          Breaking and moulding a dancer to carry on with the profession is imperative and should be the concern of every choreographer. While the businessmen in most fields give money to the graduating apprentice to begin business with, the professional dancer or choreographer should, as we have seen in Bakare Ojo Rasaki’s technique, empower the dancer physically, morally, intellectually, financially and spiritually. Taking from the artiste dancer what rightly is due to him/her could be discouraging.

Furthermore, as the doyen of theatre, Late Hubert Ogunde once advised dancers in 1988 at the Niger State Arts Council, Minna,  “a dancer can only spend ten active years of his/her life on the stage, after which diminishing return sets in”. In other words, all trained dancers and choreographers of today should not hide their skills but impact on trainee artistes or dancers to continue from and to keep the dance profession afloat. Furthermore, those who are blessed with the knowledge to intellectualise, commoditise and document dance through literary or practical means should not deter but rather persist to making dance germane in the society.       

References

Bakare, Ojo Rasaki (1994).  Rudiments of choreography Part 1. Zaria: Space 2000 Pace Publishers Limited.

Bakare Ojo Rasaki (2007). Singing old tunes: Critical comments on Welsh

Asante’s African dance. In Chris Ugolo (ed) Perspectives in Nigerian Dance Studies. (pp. 266-284) Ibadan: Caltop Publications (Nigeria Limited).

Kane J.E. (1972). Personality, body concept and performance. In Kane J.E. (Ed.) Psychological aspects of physical education and sport. (pp. 91-127 ). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul

Musa, Rasheed Abiodun (2001). Psychology as a factor in play directing. The Performer. Ilorin: Journal of the Performing Arts Vol.3.( pp.92-103). Department of the Performing Arts, University of Ilorin.

Musing on Bakare, Ojo Rasaki @ 50. 2014. Call for Paper. London: SPM

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Shaibu, Husseini. (2006). From natural talent to professionalism: The challenges of a Nigerian dancer. In Ahmed Yerima, Bakare, Ojo-Rasaki and Arnold Udoka (Eds.) Critical perspectives on dance in Nigeria. (pp. 293-304). Ibadan: Kraft Books Limited.

Sherbon, Elizabeth (1975). On the count of one modern dance methods, 2^nd

edition. USA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Suru, C. Damisa. (2012). “Marriage and funeral dance performances among the Ososo people of Nigeria.” Unpublished PhD Thesis, submitted to the Department of Performing Arts, University of Ilorin, Ilorin.