The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #150096   Message #3496549
Posted By: Azizi
29-Mar-13 - 08:25 PM
Thread Name: Introducing Azizi's New Cultural Blog
Subject: RE: Introducing Azizi's New Cultural Blog
It's two days since I started this thread and I realize that I gave the link to my first cultural blog and not my new one.

The link for the new blog is http://zumalala.blogspot.com

Some here may be interested in the topic of the post that I published today.

That post provides information, comments, and an example of a Gospel line dance song.

Gospel line dance music is a relatively recent sub-genre of African American Gospel music. I'd date the inception of Gospel line dancing to around 1997 when Kirk Franklin recorded his hit Gospel record "Stomp". Like other line dance songs, much of or all of the lyrics to Gospel line dance records are consist of the singer "calling out" the steps for that particular dance (for instance "turn to the left/turn to the right/ now stomp!/ now back it up). The religious references are the only difference between Gospel line dance songs & other line dance songs. I mentioned the instructional dance songs, but Gospel line dancing is also done to Gospel music that wasn't specifically recorded for the purpose of line dancing and therefore don't include instructional dance step lyrics.

Given that in the United States dancing to religious music has LONG been considered an anathema, the idea of Gospel line dancing is a very significant change.

Here's the link to that post http://zumalala.blogspot.com/2013/03/dana-divine-gospel-slide-video-lyrics.html which showcase the 2007 example of Gospel line dance song by Dana Divine entitled "Gospel Slide". I also included my transcription of that song since I couldn't find one online.

Now you can really zoom over to check out zumalala. :o)

Best wishes,

Azizi Powell