We All Came Out Of Africa Singing And Dancing And We Have Been Doing It Ever Since

Abstract

All humans originally came out of Africa “singing and dancing”. And while in many cultures singing and dancing have continued to be co-equal in performance, social, political, economic and environmental factors have conspired to produce a myriad of vocal styles and performance practices across the planet. The indigenous people of North America, especially those of the Pacific Northwest, the shepherd singers of Tuva in Mongolia, the Inuit `throat singers' of northern Canada, the Maori haka performances, the Korean p'ansori, the traditions of western art music and the popular music styles of the contemporary entertainment media illustrate the enormous variety of vocal postures of which the human vocal tract and breathing system are capable. This importance of specific environment, sociopolitical and religious belief systems on the development and maintenance of performance practices is described and explained, covering the range of singing styles listed above.