West African Dance Practices—The traditional dance styles of Mali and Guinea, West Africa have, historically, served various functions: social, theatrical, spiritual, political, philosophical and pedagogical. This course will introduce you to select dance styles from these two regions, even as we explore deeper connections to African Diasporic forms. For each dance aesthetic, we will focus on the following: 1. Technique, 2. Musicality and 3. Cultural Context. 1. Technique—Each dance style has a well-defined set of technical features that define the dance. Having familiarity with the technical features is a precondition to idiosyncratic interpretations of the style. 2. Musicality—Each movement aesthetic has an accompanying rhythm, which an orchestra of musicians play for dancers. In fact, Malian and Guinean dance requires that movers and musicians engage in a complex, polyrhythmic conversation. You will learn the basic musical composition of each rhythm so that you can become increasingly more articulate in that conversation. 3. Cultural Context—Your introduction to each rhythm/dance will begin with an explanation of its origins and evolution through time. Providing this context will allow you to properly interpret and embody each dance style.