Was it authentic? Hell yes. What most drew me into the performance was the focus and determination of the dancers. They were coordinated and moved intelligently and it was mesmerizing. They moved quickly but with control and although they jumped and sprinted it was still a heavy performance, not light, and what I mean by that is it had content. Memorable content that as stated earlier seemed to have the authenticity and lack of false cinematic appeal we are so used to seeing in media.
These dancers do this kind of dance because it’s tradition that they believe in and have been raised on, it’s not backup dancing for a pop artist. The spectacle is the dancing, and the intensity and raw talent and emotional content is the subject. That is why I believe it is truly authentic and I was digging it, man. I was nodding my head and zooming into the legs and limbs and the muscles and was thoroughly entertained and even learned something. I learned that dance is a lifestyle to many people, and most dancers. I already know it’s a sensual feeling that you and the dance feel together to make it, a.k.a. you make the dance and it makes you, almost like you and the feeling are dancing to create the dance; but it’s mostly sensuality and raw feeling.

The difference with Dance Africa is that it’s not sensuality but their beliefs and spirituality that create the dance. Like religion, almost. It’s a blatant difference in culture where in America we focus on the self but in other countries they focus on community or religion. The Dance Africa performance was the most spiritual I have ever seen, and it’s because of the belief involved in each step.