However, despite the ban, this dance had already sporadically spread to the coast of West Africa and the United States, specifically New Orleans’, which was a haven for bounce music. The locals view it as a dance that has lost its essential meaning and has made the holy dance obscene. This led to the Mapouka dancers being chased out of countries like Ivory Coast, Niger, and even Togo. The modern version of this dance focuses greatly on the choosing of mates, which is courtesy of the Western attitude inculcated in it. Mapouka was believed to lead to encounters with God and help in choosing out life partners for young adults in the community. This African celebratory dance involved the use of great skill and the isolation of muscles in the body. This is evident in its similarity with the Mapouka dance of Cote d’Ivoire also known as, “La Dance Du Fessier” (dance of the behind).
Twerking originates from Afro-Diaspora and African traditions.
Nevertheless, this it dates back further than this. This was when Miley Cyrus performed it with famous singer Robin Thicke on stage. The 2013 MTV VMA Music Awards will go done in history as the year that made twerk dance go viral. Most people have no idea where twerking traces its origin. The media will probably tire of it eventually, and when that happens, black culture will be there to reclaim it.History of Twerking: When it was invented? So yes, twerking isn’t new it’s only new to the mainstream media.
#Twerk dance moves full#
Remember that time Justin Bieber had dreads? Or the excessive amounts of culturally offensive Halloween costumes you can find at any costume store? Or all the times Miley Cyrus has twerked, surrounded only by dancers of color that seem a bit more like props than back up dancers at times? Even Taylor Swift has twerking in her video for “Shake It Off” (which, if I might add, is also full of stereotypes and cultural appropriation). The mainstream media loves to take things that traditionally belong to other cultures, put a white face on them, and present them as some new trend that only recently came about. So why, then, has it suddenly become so popular with Miley Cyrus? Well, it’s not exactly surprising. One of the first recorded instances of the use of the term “twerking” occurred in DJ Jubilee’s “Do the Jubilee All” from 1993 when he says, “twerk baby, twerk baby, twerk, twerk, twerk.” Other songs since then include “Whistle While You Twurk” by The Ying Yang Twins, “Twerk That Thang” by Master P, “Get Low” by Lil Jon, and many others (Destiny’s Child almost released “Twirk” but ended up deciding against it, just FYI ’cause who doesn’t love Beyonce?) Twerking has long been a part of black culture even disregarding its original cultural origins, black women were twerking in rap and R&B videos long before Miley Cyrus ever hit the stage. There, it was not a sexual thing it was a form of worship. One blogger recalls seeing older women in her predominantly West African church go to the front of the church and twerk if a certain song of praise was sung. In many West African cultures, it was an expression of joy and celebration performed at family gatherings and weddings. It has even been added to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, which defines it as “sexually suggestive dancing characterized by rapid, repeated hip thrusts and shaking of the buttocks especially while squatting.” But twerking isn’t new. The Mapouka dance focuses mainly on the buttocks the resemblance to modern-day twerking is easy to see.Īccording to the Western perspective, twerking is a highly sexualized and provocative gyration of the hips and buttocks. It has an uncanny resemblance to the Mapouka dance from Côte d’Ivoire (modern versions of which can be seen here and here (a side note: if you decide to investigate this further, beware of simply typing “mapouka” into YouTube)). The dance dates back centuries, having most likely originated somewhere in West Africa. Twerking has actually been around for much longer than it has been in the mainstream media. Contrary to what the media will tell you, it did not originate with Miley Cyrus’s 2013 VMA performance with Robin Thicke (a sad interpretation of twerking if you ask me). This sexual and provocative dance move has taken the world by storm. Instead of blogging about a particular dancer this week, I’m going to blog about a dance move that you’ve most likely heard of, particularly in recent years: twerking.
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