Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn important, thorough study. . . . Recommended.
* Choice *
This study's attention to the intersection of lived experiences with wider historical events and social formations, as well as the author's careful analysis of Ivorian ballet and the dances and drum rhythms that constitute the genre, make Abidjan USA an important intervention in ethnomusicology and folklore.
* Journal of American Folklore *
Table of ContentsEM Series Preface
Preface: A Confluence of Beginnings
Acknowledgements
Notes on Language
Part I. Program Notes
1. Introduction: Abidjan USA
2. "Ballet" as Nexus of Discourses
Part II. Stages and Stories
Act I. Vado Diomande
3. Kekene: the Performance of Oneness in NYC
4. "If you aren't careful, you don't know where you will end up!": Vado Diomande and Transcendence
Act II. Samba Diallo
5. "Culture brings everybody together": Samba Diallo's Ayoka
6. "I'm happy because I'm different": Samba Diallo and Exceptionalism
Act III. Sogbety Diomande
7. "You know you're in a different country": Sogbety Diomande's West African Drum and Dance
8. "When you're in a new context, you try things that work in that context": Sogbety Diomande and Adaptability
Act IV. Dr. Djo Bi Irie Simon
9. "Open Village": An Ivorian Wedding in an Indiana Cornfield
10. "Everyone is a cook, but he's a chef!": Dr. Djo Bi and Innovation
11. Thoughts on the Way Out
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index
