African dance – The characteristics of Kpanlogo
It all started with a spider. Actually, it started with a spider story (Ananse):
Once upon a time there was a powerful and wealthy king with three beautiful daughters, but no sons. The daughters were never allowed to leave the king’s palace, and their names, Kpanlogo, Alogodzan, and Nmaa Nmaa, were kept secret from the public.
As the King grew older, he became more concerned about not having a son to inherit his throne. The wise old king devised a plan to secure his throne. He devised a contest for all the men of his kingdom: the man who guessed the secret names of his three daughters would win his hands in marriage and thus inherit the throne.
Earlier, a cunning man had entered the palace. He sneaked his way through the palace until he came across the three beautiful daughters playing. He started flailing and spinning, acting crazy, making the girls laugh at him. Not far away, his mother heard the commotion and wanted to know what all the fuss was about. The mother called her eldest son, “Kpanlogo?” Receiving no response, she called out to her other daughters: “Alogodzan? Nmaa Nmaa?” With this, the man disappeared, leaving the girls to explain to his mother what had just happened.
On the day of the contest, all the single men in the kingdom gathered at the palace for a chance to win the King’s contest. One by one, they introduced themselves to the king, trying to guess the names of his beautiful daughters. One by one, they failed. Finally, it was the cunning man’s turn. He had composed a song with the names of the daughters and began to sing, “Kpanlogo Alogodzan nn Kpanlogo Nmaa oo Nmaa oo.”
The crowd and the royal family were truly amazed! However, none other than the king, who demanded to know how the Sneaky Man had learned the names of his precious daughters. Sneaky Man wowed the crowd with his amazing story of bravery and daring. The king was so impressed with Sneaky Man’s cunning that he gladly gave his daughter’s hands in marriage to our cunning friend.
Like most Ananse stories, this story was passed down from generation to generation in West Africa, specifically in the Accra region of Ghana, as an entertainment and educational tool. After hearing the story told by his grandfather, during the 1960s, a young man from Ga named Otoo (Otu) Lincoln was inspired to create a performance of this story. In developing new rhythms, now known as Kpanlogo, Lincoln incorporated aspects of traditional Ghanaian fisherman dances, known as “lolo”, as well as African “high life” dances, with rhythms similar to those of Clave (a rhythmic pattern Cuban). , and influences from the American bluesman Bo Diddley. Designed as a recreational dance, Kpanlogo quickly became popular with the younger population of West Africa.
The Kpanlogo drum is also a favorite of Ghanaians. Similar in shape, but smaller in size than a conga, the Kpanlogo drum produces a rich, deep and smooth sound. The drum is approximately 24 inches tall and has a 10- to 12-inch-diameter head. The head is traditionally made from antelope skin, however it can be made from calfskin or goatskin, with calfskin producing the most antelope-like sound. Being a peg drum, it is tuned by hitting the pegs on the drum body. The drum is played strictly with the hands.
The Kpanlogo orchestra consists of two Kpanlogo drums (male and female), double iron bells, shekeres, or gourd rattles. One or more square wooden drums (Tamali), the Gyil (xylophone), the bamboo flute, clapping and whistles can be incorporated to produce this lively dance sound.
In the Ga language, Kpan means dance and longo means spinning, so Kpanlogo means spinning dance. The dance features wildly swinging arms, gyrating torsos, and graceful footwork. Performed by men and women alike, aspects of “lolo”, such as arm movements pulling heavily loaded fishing nets, can be easily seen in the structure of the dance, as can hints of rock and roll dancing. Comical movements, quick turns, stamping feet, facial expression and flirtation all play their part in completing the form.
The sexual undertones implied in the performance served to cause the government to temporarily ban the dance in the mid-1960s. Officials ordered a demonstration of the dance to consider for themselves the final determination of the dances’ appropriateness. Cleverly, those participating in this special performance slightly altered their steps and movements. After this consideration, the authorities determined that Kpanlogo was an appropriate social dance and lifted the ban. From that time on, the kpanlogo became the favorite social and celebratory dance of the Ghanaian people, which is now performed by young and old alike.