This dance …
is called:Zaouli
Zaouli or the Zaouli mask dance is a traditional dance in central Côte d'Ivoire of the so called Kweni or Kouèni people.
Societal relevance
The Zaouli dance is performed for social events of the community. In each Guro village there is a local zaouli dancer (but always a man) who performs, for example, at funerals and celebrations. The musicians call the Zaouli dancer with their music. The masked dancer that to begin with is covered covered by a cloth then arrives. There is a predecessor who unveils the mask. After the beauty of the mask has been shown to the audience, the dancer stands up. A second dancer, the "male dance partner", animates the zaouli dancer, who then starts his dance.
Music
About ten musicians accompany and fire the dance with percussion instruments and flutes.
Costume
The dancer wears a mask. Wearing a Zaouli mask, according to legend, also puts its wearer into a kind of trance. There are seven different types of Zaouli masks, each of them embodies its own legendary story. The mask depicts a woman. The cult of the masks is said to be a tribute to the female sex. A recurring element of the masks are two framing snakes. The masks used in the dance were not created until the early 1950s. Some sources speak of a young woman named "Djela Lou Zaouli" (Zaouli, daughter of Djela), who inspired the masks. Next to the mask the dancer carries tassels in his hands and is enveloped in a complex costume.
[1] Wildimages-phototours.com, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://www.wildimages-phototours.com/zaouli-behind-mask/
[2] Ich.unesco.org, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/zaouli-popular-music-and-dance-of-the-guro-communities-in-cte-divoire-01255
is called:Zaouli
Zaouli or the Zaouli mask dance is a traditional dance in central Côte d'Ivoire of the so called Kweni or Kouèni people.
Societal relevance
The Zaouli dance is performed for social events of the community. In each Guro village there is a local zaouli dancer (but always a man) who performs, for example, at funerals and celebrations. The musicians call the Zaouli dancer with their music. The masked dancer that to begin with is covered covered by a cloth then arrives. There is a predecessor who unveils the mask. After the beauty of the mask has been shown to the audience, the dancer stands up. A second dancer, the "male dance partner", animates the zaouli dancer, who then starts his dance.
Music
About ten musicians accompany and fire the dance with percussion instruments and flutes.
Costume
The dancer wears a mask. Wearing a Zaouli mask, according to legend, also puts its wearer into a kind of trance. There are seven different types of Zaouli masks, each of them embodies its own legendary story. The mask depicts a woman. The cult of the masks is said to be a tribute to the female sex. A recurring element of the masks are two framing snakes. The masks used in the dance were not created until the early 1950s. Some sources speak of a young woman named "Djela Lou Zaouli" (Zaouli, daughter of Djela), who inspired the masks. Next to the mask the dancer carries tassels in his hands and is enveloped in a complex costume.
[1] Wildimages-phototours.com, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://www.wildimages-phototours.com/zaouli-behind-mask/
[2] Ich.unesco.org, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/zaouli-popular-music-and-dance-of-the-guro-communities-in-cte-divoire-01255
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How to dance the dance
The dance is based on extremely quick and rhythmical steps. Hands and feet follow a common choreography improvised by the dancer according to the music, while the upper part of the body appears immobile or moves only slowly horizontally.
Here are some excerpt of tutorials to learn the basic steps
The dance is based on extremely quick and rhythmical steps. Hands and feet follow a common choreography improvised by the dancer according to the music, while the upper part of the body appears immobile or moves only slowly horizontally.
Here are some excerpt of tutorials to learn the basic steps
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