Authors: Tijime Awuawuer
Many societies and cultures in Africa believe in communal existence. This existence permeates through almost every aspect of life, which dance is not left out of this shared ingenuity. In Tiv society, like other cultures in Nigeria, almost all indigenous dances are owned by families and communities. This follows that dance activities in Nigeria are communal-oriented, participatory by all, and natural (Ojuade, 2021, 19). The Tiv people of Central Nigeria affirm this imperative in their various dance traditions. Thus, it is almost difficult for an individual to claim authorship and choreographic monopoly of a particular dance. Following this backdrop, this chapter therefore examines the making of indigenous Nigerian dances, using selected dances of the Tiv People as templates. Through the author’s participatory-observation of the Tiv indigenous dances, the chapter does a chronicle of selected dances, pointing out their authorship and choreographic principles. This chapter concludes that in Tiv society, like other societies in Nigeria, the authorship, and choreographic processes of dance are collective.
Keywords: Choreography, authorship, dance, composition, Tiv, Nigeria
Tijime Awuawuer, Ph.D. Department of Dramatic Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, ILE-IFE, Osun State, Nigeria. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
