There are many forms of African dances, some of which are detailed below.
- , which are similar to Japanese and Chinese Martial Arts , are used to train people in the techniques of wielding weapons and avoiding attacks.
- are performed on special accessions, such as Wedding s and anniversaries.
- are two common dances. Yankadi is slow and mellow, while Macru has a faster Tempo with lots of movement. The men and woman who participate in the dance face each other in rows; everyone has a Scarf , and the dancers put their scarf on the one whom they wish to dance with.
- are performed to mark the comming of age of young men and women. They give confidence to the dancers who have to perform in front of everyone. It is then formally acknowledged they are adults. This builds pride, as well as a stronger sense of community.
- are a show of respect and pleasure to visitors, as well as a show of how talented & atrractive the host villagers are. Yabara is a West African Dance of Welcome marked by ''The Beaded Net Covered Gourd Rattle'' (yabara) that the dance is named after. It is thrown into the air to different heights by the female dancers to mark tempo and rhythm changes. This is an impressive spectacle, as all the dancers will throw & catch them at the same time.
- These are common themes, and very important in many Traditional African Religions. They all share one common link: a call to a Spirit. These spirits can be the spirits of Plants or Forests, Ancestors, or Deities. The Orishas are the Deities found in many forms of African religion, such as Candomble , Santeria , Yoruba , Voodoo , and others. Each orisha has their favourite colours, days, times, foods, drinks, Music , and, of course, dances. The dances will be used on special occasions to honour the orisha, or to seek help and guidance. The orisha may be angry and need appeasing. Kakilambe is a great spirit of the forest who is summoned using dance. He comes in the form of a giant statue carried from the forest out to the waiting village. There is much dancing and singing. During this time the statue is raised up, growing to a height of around 15". Then the priest communes and asks Kakilambe if they will have good luck over the coming years, and if there are any major events to be aware of, such as drought, war, or other things.
- is a dance used by women who have bad luck. It is also the name of a particular tree that grows near the village in Guinea where this dance originated. The women prepares by putting on ragged and dirty clothes, then goes with a group of drummers to the tree. The group plays, and she sings and dances all around the village before returning to the tree. There she digs a hole and removes her ragged clothing; she buries these at the foot of the tree with a prayer for help.
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