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Journalism of Courage
An African-American tries a different fusion, adding bhangra to West African dances
A 24-year-old African-American is in India on a dance quest of her own 8212; to unite black and brown dances on one stage. Malena Amusa from Missouri has been learning bhangra since October, and, on Monday, she will present a performance combining West African moves and bhangra steps. 8220;Black and brown dances will mediate the conversation between Africans and Indians, as they emerge as leaders of 21st century,8221; she says.
Despite the packed schedule of her dance company Harambee, which performed before UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Manhattan in 2007, she found time to pick up the basic lessons in bhangra in the US.
In Delhi, she works with Bollywood Naach and is perfecting the steps. 8220;Unlike West African dances, in which the body is bent forward, bhangra requires a more upright posture,8221; she says. And then, there are the jumps that define both forms 8212; Amusa leaps into the air, flaying her limbs in the celebratory gestures of West African performances. She began learning West African dance in high school as a 8220;way to connect with my own identity of being a Black American with a huge nose and nappy hair8221;, she says. Her father, who migrated from Nigeria in the early 1970s, never talked about his traditions and culture, so dance became a window to a faraway homeland. She started an African drum-and-dance ensemble at Northwestern University in 2005 and incorporated bhangra elements into her African dance troupe Orisha at Columbia University in 2007.
Bhangra is today as much a part of her identity, as the rhythms of Senegal, and Amusa is sure that 8220;India is going to be my third home8221;.
