INTRODUCTION
Talawa Technique is a fully codified and examinable technique for Africanistic movement and aesthetics.
The Technique seamlessly merges ancestral movements, historical and culturally contextualized vocabulary with contemporary African and Diaspora movement and sensibilities. It bridges the gap between “urban freestyling” and traditional dance. It offers a fused approach to stylized movement for stage and art production.
The Talawa movement vocabulary stays true to Africanist dance heritage, rooting down towards the ground. The Talawa Technique performance is often characterized by a heavy strength that draws power from the support of the earth below our feet.
Talawa Technique is unique due to its use of rhythmic structures, an unique approach to grounding and traditional Africanistic movement qualities like trembling, shaking, undulating, pulsating and more.
The main objective of the technique is control, and is therefore not restricted to a specific dance style, genre, ethnicity or discipline. The Talawa Technique makes clear distinction between aesthetical and technical choices. This allows the dancer to get full ownership of their bodies natural bends and curves. Connecting to history and culture in an empowering way, dancers are guided to skillfully master the multiple isolations and polyrhythmic articulations, while breaking down mental and cultural barriers in order to free movement. The technique uses knowledge and culture as a liberating tool, creating confident performers, who embrace their own identities and the multiple identities of africanistic movment.
Talawa- Technique also called TT-Tech is a Technique developed since 1998 by Thomas Prestø¸ aka Talawa, the Artistic Director of Tabanka African & Caribbean Peoples Dance Ensemble