Understanding Swange dance of the Tiv people of central Nigeria within the perspective of socio-political changes

Abstract

Dance can respond to and as well as generating socio-political change. Conversely, that change could be identified, analyzed, and understood in terms of contemporary and societal circumstances. This is the reason why dance productions in any society are based on the life and practical issues bordering the citizenry within a socio-political context. Therefore, this paper using a participatory observation approach, scores Tiv dances as they are interpreted differently by different people within different socio-political and economic backgrounds and histories. Accordingly, this paper using Swange dance of Tiv people from Central Nigerian as a model observes that dances in Nigeria have taken new roles within the fast-growing features of socio-political and economic pliability. The paper consequently concludes that in Nigeria, dances have assumed the lead characters in socio-political commentaries because of their popularity thus becoming a popular culture capable of sustaining buckle patterns of socio-political ideology and hegemony.