The “Baamaaya” is a traditional dance that originated from Ghana. This dance was created after a man committed a crime against a woman. They believed that because the man had committed a crime against a woman, their entire village was experiencing severe drought. They thought that the drought was the Gods’ doing. In order to appease the Gods and to encourage them to lift their punishment, the men dressed like women and danced the “Baamaaya” until rain started to fall. “Baamaaya” translates directly to “the fields are wet.” This dance was usually always accompanied by the flute and talking drums. Nowadays, Baamaaya is danced on many occasions. But it is mostly performed at funerals. The book says that “a bad deed committed by one, results in suffering for all,” which emphasizes the distress that the dancers in Ghana were feeling as they danced. In this aspect, the dance has not changed at all. Since, it is performed at funerals, the performers and the audience must be experiencing a great amount of grief due to the death of a loved one.

The “Washerwoman’s Branle” is a type of Renaissance dance that originated in Paris. The dance got its name because the sound that the performers made as they danced sounds like a woman beating her clothes along the riverbank. The performers dance in a circle and they are facing the center as they move. This dance was based on a peasant dance but it was also danced at the court. Someone who was able to dance the “Washerwoman’s Branle” was considered to be someone of high status. They danced this at the court because they wanted to find the most suitable person for them. Since, the performers would have to get very close to each other in order to dance this, it would help the person spot someone that they liked. The way that the dance is performed has remained the same, but the prestigiousness of it has diminished greatly. In the video that we watched in class, the college students who were dancing this for their recital were trying not to laugh throughout the performance. This means that the dance has lost the respect that it used to have and has now become a joke.