In last month's issue we presented the views of black dancers and drummers on the question of whites participating in African dance and drum culture. In this month's issue we try to express the feelings and thinking of white dancers and drummers whom we interviewed and/or who were willing to share their thoughts in writing. Here at the Beat we were interested in obtaining reactions to some pretty tough questions. For the most part, we found the respondents to be very thoughtful and respectful. Almost all of the whites we interviewed had been participating n the culture for ten or more years. Their answers were seasoned through years of experience. It would have been interesting to have had the opportunity to talk to some people just starting out to be able to contrast the answers, but we have what we have. So, let's jump in and hear their voices:

How Did You Come to African Dance or Drum?

For the most part, the white dancers (all female that we talked to) had varying amounts of dance training in jazz, modern or ballet before they were exposed to African dance. They were initially exposed to African dance movements through groups such as Alvin Ailey, Chuck Davis, Melvin Deal or at studios such as the old Faretta's. When circumstances threw them into an African dance class, something special happened to them. None of the dancers could find the exact words to adequately describe what they experienced but many categorized the feeling as a sense of freedom. Both dancers and drummers spoke of the power of the rhythms of the African drum and the effect hearing the drum had upon their spirits. One dancer indicated that perhaps the fact that African dance is so powerful because it moves the white from the head into the body. Almost all of the white dancers we talked to had been training in African dance for ten or more years. They were not new comers and so their understanding of the forces within the culture were very nuanced. The drummers as well had been in the culture for a long time. They spoke of the power of the drum impacting them at a spiritual level.

Everyone had some experience with feeling rejected or snubbed in the context of a class or conference where African Americans and whites were present. Early in their dance or drum careers they were more likely to think the rejection was as a result of race. And one or two dancers had experienced being explicitly told they were not welcome because they were white. As they gained more experience in the culture, they realized the reasons why they felt rejected sometimes has nothing to do with being white, so much as groups of dancers want to dance together, or many times people don't want to dance with someone whose skill level may not be high. Nonetheless, everyone seemed to agree that there were times when it did seem people didn't want to dance with them because they were white. Examples mentioned were that sometimes if you were in a line set to come across the floor, they would look up and the line had dissolved. Some of the drummers also commented that in master drum class the African American men would be on one side of the room and the white drummers would be on the other. Every one agreed that today as opposed to ten or twelve years ago, there seemed to be more acceptance even if that acceptance was uneasy. They felt their presence is a fact of life and African Americans seem to "tolerate" them even if they don't welcome them. Interestingly, all the white dancers and drummers wished that the African cultural community could grow to the point where it could set the example for the rest of America on how people from different races could work together in a community united by a common bond of love for dance and drum.