Scholarly Works
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.ui.edu.ng/handle/123456789/368
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Item Dance theories and mmonwu performance tradition of the igbo people of nigeria(International Institute of Advance Scholars Development, 2025-04) Akapo, S.S.; Babalola O.S.Dance is a universal phenomenon that is as old as man and his desire to express himself, to communicate his joys and sorrows, to celebrate and to mourn with the most immediate instrument: his body. Nigerian dances like most African dances have been variously subjected to critical evaluation. However, most of the earlier critics have erroneously appreciated these dances from western dance experience and ideals. This has resulted in a problem of unholy generalization in theory and criticism of dance. Using the thematic analysis method, this study interrogates Spenser’s five theories of dance using Mmonwu Tradition of the Igbo. This is in order to enhance and enrich critical understanding and place of dance in African society. The study found that dance plays a major role in the functional, artistic and communal expression of the Mmonwu tradition among the Igbos of Nigeria. It is also recommended that scholars and writers should subject individual performance and tradition to critical analysis based on the nuances and particularities of that performance and tradition in order to avoid unwarranted generalizations in performance/culture appreciation and interpretation.Item The body as archive and memory: a study of fishermen(The Department of Dramatic Arts Obafemi Awolowo University lie Ife, Nigeria, 2024) Akapo, S.S.This work analyzes one of the important roles of the body which is to conserve or memorialize, to keep practices for future references and use. Using the qualitative research method and participant's observation as tools, this paper explains the importance of dance in human society, that is, the social function of dance as a human activity. Although most people see dance as what everyone can do, dance in the real sense goes beyond bodily movements that human beings engage in every day. This research looks at two selected Nigerian dances: Fishermen and Ikede dances as they embody some specific cultural practices without neglecting the fact that culture is not static. The Ikede dance is a traditional dance of the Ebira people of Kogi State which portrays the art of local weaving. Although it is created and performed within Ebira context, it is a practice that is common to some other people in Nigeria like the Tiv, Egons, and Yorubas etc. These two dances form the basis of analysis in this study. The analysis is based on the performance of these dances by the Kogi State Troupe.