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• 1 media/Screen Shot 2018-08-09 at 9.00.26 AM.png media/Screen Shot 2018-08-09 at 9.02.11 AM.png 2018-08-09T12:48:47-07:00 The Art of Dance: The Life of Adenike Sharpley 13 plain 2018-12-11T13:16:08-08:00
  
  “I didn’t care if anyone else didn’t want to be African American or didn’t like being black I wanted that, I’ve always been proud,” said Adenike Sharpley.  This is just one example of the many confident responses Adenike had for us during our interview with her.  It seems that in a time where many African Americans were feeling that being black made things impossible and out of reach, Adenike always held her head high not allowing anyone to take reign over her life. The art of dance became a way for African Americans to express their emotions.  Whether the emotion they are trying to convey is happiness, anger, or sadness; their body movements speak in abundance.  Our group had the privilege of interviewing this brilliant local artist. Not only to examine her work but also to acquire knowledge on her culture, experiences, and contributions to society.
  
  Mariam Adenike Sharpley was born May 4, 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio; although her formative years were spent on a small farm in Cameron, South Carolina. At a young age she took up ballet before moving on to traditional African dancing. As a youth, she attended Cleveland public schools, followed by a brief stint at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She then moved on to Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she graduated Cum Laude, and obtained a degree in Sociology. After finishing off her academic career, Sharpley obtained her Masters in Sociology from the historic Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. Sharpley held the distinguished honor of being one of the last alumnus graduating from the program.
  
  Before diving into Adenike’s personal experience with dance it is key to look at the foundation of African dance. Dance is a visual art form that can channel an individual's inner emotions while conveying a message through the movements they are making. Every single dancer has their own personal identity that shines through during their dancing; this is why dance is one of the popular forms of self-expression for Africans and African Americans. Some of the oldest and most traditional forms of dance come from West Africa (Charry). West Africa is made up of 16 different countries all containing tribes with their very own distinct cultures. The dances can differ from tribe to tribe, but the importance of dance to the whole community is the same. Africans are taught at an early age to listen for and dance to the complicated dualistic rhythmic style that is involved in their traditions. Vocals and different types of drums are the most common instruments used for West African dance; the drums and the dancers are interconnected Different dances go along with certain occasions like funerals, initiations, and marriage ceremonies, although some dances signify regular daily life for Africans. Some of the traditional dances of West Africa include the Adzogbo, Bawa, and the Mouwa (Sommer). Below is an example of what a performance of a traditional West african dance looks like, Mohobelo (Striding Dance). The spirit of African dance is freedom and self-expression made possible through their complex polyrhythmic melodies. 
    
  Adenike was the founder of a group originated at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio called Dance Diaspora. Dance Diaspora is a semi-professional dance group that was formed in 1992. This group evolved from a class, which was called the “Essence Class”, later called “Essence Ensemble”. Once Dance Diaspora was formed it became a listing with Oberlin College’s Theater and Dance Department. The group’s mission was to be able to continue the cultural dance of West Africa and other areas such as Haiti, Cuba, Brazil, and Nigeria just to name a few. It focused on “acknowledging the spirituality, philosophy and diversity of African culture and its global presence.” This group allowed the students to dance on and off campus at several different venues. They had the opportunity to perform at the Detroit Museum, Marietta College, and Georgia State. Dance Diaspora was a way to allow the students to “enhance their art and culture performance skills”.
  
  Sharpley’s whole reason for starting the group was because as she observed the community of students she felt that many of the students had been in dance training in some aspect previously, and had the ambition to dance on a more professional level. The group’s last performance was on March 7, 2017 with their final production being called, “Black Live: The incarceration of the Spirit”.One of the major influences that inspired Sharpley was Margaret Christian. Margaret Christian is a 1974 graduate of Oberlin College and played an integral part in bringing African American, and Afro-Caribbean dance to the school during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. She did a student teaching ExCo courses, which were classes taught by students for students. She taught dance classes which included Jazz, Caribbean, and Modern African American dance.  She went on to become an author and has been active in the community giving presentations at the Oberlin library about the history of the town and its role in African American history. With a role model like Margaret Christian it is no wonder that Sharpley is as active and impactful to her community.
   
  
  On top of the countless other things she is involved in with the community, Adenike Sharpley has been a successful business owner for over 25 years, moving around to several locations before ending up in downtown Oberlin. When asked what inspired her to open up her own business Ade replied, “I wanted some incense and oils”, she continued to explain that there weren’t any places around at the time that sold exactly what she wanted, so she decided to open her own store and sell the items she was looking for. Now for over two decades she has balanced her busy life while maintaining her own business. Ade’s Place is a quaint store on N. Main that has everything from incense and oils, to clothing, statues, fine jewelry and even raw natural shea-butter.  Most items sold at Ade’s Place are brought directly from the place where they are made. Ade’s deep family connections in West Africa help bring authentic African made goods to Lorain County.  “A lot of my merchandise comes from companies that have schools set up, almost everything has some type of political connection”. It is clear from the products that she sells in her store that Ade has a deep sense of community and world pride. Ade’s Place is located 16 S Main St, Oberlin, OH. and is open 12 to 6 PM, Tuesday through Friday.
  
  
  
  Adenike’s contribution to the Oberlin community is nothing less than remarkable.  Not only does Adenike’s choreography and store bring cultural diversity to the town, but her coordination of the Juneteenth celebration adds to her list of twenty-eight years working for Oberlin.  Juneteenth is a celebration that started in Texas post slavery two years after the emancipation proclamation.  Priscilla Steinberg ran the chamber for many years and decided to pass the torch onto Adenike.
  
  
  
  When asked what her mission was with Juneteenth, Adenike responded “Oberlin’s history with the slave migration here and because of the John Price events along with several others I just felt that this would be a place where that celebration makes sense”. 
  
  
  
  Along with Adenike’s inspirations her culture and African American background play a major role in what she does.   African Americans have had hardships that have allowed for them to grow stronger and to overcome the oppressions by expressing themselves through a strong sense of art. The entire essence of African American art is that of power and inspiring an awareness of pride in the act of expression. This is found in all aspects of African American art, including music, dance, fine art, and literature. All of these types of art lead back to the culture, which means that African Americans pour all of their heart and progress directly into their art. Throughout time, African American culture has been influenced by family roots, the community, and social issues/politics. (Photo: Barbra Jones-Hogu, UNITE, 1971). The Harlem Renaissance was a huge movement for the increase of African American art and it allowed for the start of African Americans to express themselves. Even the Civil Rights Movement gave way to African American art as it helped to push African American culture forward to send the message of how important it was to have civil rights. In our interview with Adenike Sharpley she speaks about her culture and the importance of knowing one’s culture.
  
  One of the major figures in Adenike’s life that increased her passion for her culture was Katherine Dunham.  Katherine Dunham was a multi-talented individual whose titles include that of anthropologist, author, scholar, choreographer, dancer and many more. She was first and foremost an anthropologist, having received a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree in the aforementioned discipline; while also being one of the first African American women to attend the university. Through her anthropological knowledge she helped to popularize African American dance in the United States where a largely European influence held sway over the world of dance. She is commonly referred to as the “Matriarch of Black Dance”, and founded the Katherine Dunham Company Which sought to promote African American and Afro-Caribbean dance, and dancers. When asked how Adenike is influenced by her own culture her answer was direct. Adenike answers, “Everything. Everything about me is a composite of my culture and my family. Everything. What I eat, how I talk, how I look, everything.” (Adenike). This is a powerful statement because her culture is not just something that is an additional attribute to her character, rather it is in everything she does and is. Her culture affects universally all of her aspects of her life, including her artistic dance.   Adenike gives an insight on the importance of knowing one’s culture and how knowing can make a difference in one’s life. Looking back on the different arts of African Americans throughout time allows for a deep dive into African American culture as it is all connected. Art allows for groups of people to express themselves and celebrate their culture as well as who they are.
  
  “Your history is very important to you and you should never try or think not to incorporate it or talk about it because when you don’t you end up kind of lost.  And I’m not just talking about black people.  I think everyone should know themselves because all of these groups at some point intersect, and when you know your history you realize you’re not that far away from somebody like you thought you were” (Sharpley)
   

  Created by	Odette Bryant, Kaitlen Bradick, Yesenia Alvarez, Alesha Wilson, Jeffrey Wise, Nathan Coghlan, Nathaniel Bonacuse, and Jaden

  
   Catado (Fall 2017).
  
   
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