Danse du Jour

[shanmonster]

Today's dance clip is possibly NSFW due to lots and lots of butt. The dance style featured here is Mapouka or Macouka, a traditional Ivory Coast dance style. In 1998, the government of Ivory Coast attempted to ban public performances of Mapouka. Despite the prohibition, the dance has been gaining in popularity. The precise control these women have over their glutes is phenomenal. Suhaila, eat your heart out.

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[chadnfrood.livejournal.com]

I like.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprised!

[chadnfrood.livejournal.com]

There's a certain lovable something about a culture that has practiced rap-video ass-shaking for so long that it's considered a traditional art form. I'll at least try to feel some empathy the next time there's an atrocity in their part of the world.

[conspiracy-girl.livejournal.com]

Is that so much of a dance as a fertility rite?

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

The clips I've found don't appear ritualistic as much as joyous dance. In my admittedly rather cursory investigation of the dance form, I haven't found anything which indicate a primary function as a ritual (like zaar is, although coopted into many belly dance performances, for example).

Church camp songs always come back at the most inconvenient times...

[sageincave.livejournal.com]

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
down in my ass
WHERE?
down in my ass
WHERE?
down in my ass
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
down in my ass
WHERE?
down in my ass to staaay.

Re: Church camp songs always come back at the most inconvenient times...

[moonjaguar.livejournal.com]

And if the devil doesn't like it
he can sit on a tack
OW!
sit on a tack
OW!
sit on a tack
and if the devil doesn't like it
he can sit on a tack
sit on a tack toooday!

[sarcasm-hime.livejournal.com]

I dunno, it seems as much dance to me as that dancehall video you linked awhile back, i.e. not much. It's just standing there (or leaning on a bush) and vibrating your glutes while displaying your crotch, which is very impressive, but I'd be hard-pressed to call it dance per se.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on that, but who am I to stand in the way of a tradition? Heh.

The isolations are impressive, but a dance based strictly on one body part seems awfully limited in scope.