Books by Elizabeth Anaya
Cultural Memory and Popular Dance, 2021
On Latin dance scenes worldwide, within performances and social manifestations of salsa or casino... more On Latin dance scenes worldwide, within performances and social manifestations of salsa or casino, one can find dancers of various nationalities, ethnic origins, and backgrounds performing the steps of Yemayá or Eleguá. These are some of the deities of the orisha pantheon, but most of these dancers will neither be trained in folkloric dance nor be practitioners of the Afro-Cuban religious tradition to which these deities and their dances pertain. Similarly, the same dancers may also include steps from Afro-Cuban rumba in their practice, although they may have never danced rumba in its original context. This chapter examines the increasing use of movements borrowed from Afro-Cuban rumba and religious dances in both Cuban and international salsa repertoires. For some, this trend represents a homage to Cuban folklore and an expression of the embodied memory of Cubans dancing, re-anchoring a seemingly placeless “salsa” back within its forgotten Afro-Cuban roots. But for others, the frequent and out-of-context inclusion of these dances within salsa formats has resulted in the diffusion of a caricature of Cuban dance, trivialising deeply important aspects of Cuban culture for the sake of commercial interests. Issues around who may include these movements, when, why, and how are discussed throughout this work.
Papers by Elizabeth Anaya
Proceedings of the Alaska Native Studies Conference (2016), 2018
This paper is a movement analysis of the blanket toss (nalukataq), an event currently manifested ... more This paper is a movement analysis of the blanket toss (nalukataq), an event currently manifested at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO). First, I examine the tradition’s history and development over time as portrayed in scholarly literature on the Iñupiat whale festival. Then, I examine the blanket toss as one of many Iñupiat and Alaska Native games sharing common characteristics. Finally, I investigate the blanket toss as a WEIO competitive event, now shifted from its original site specificity and traditional context. In particular, I look at the essential components of a successful toss as defined by WEIO criteria, employing a phenomenological approach in my analysis in order to focus on the primacy of realization and reveal the ways in which aspects of the modern competitive performance may embody traditional Alaska Native cultures and values.
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Books by Elizabeth Anaya
Papers by Elizabeth Anaya