Shango De Ima

Of all the Yoruba plays read so far, this is the first not written in English, originally written in Spanish this is a translation for the La Mama Dance Company. This play differs most from the others in that it is a religious play and is meant to be followed as such as much as possible. With the specificity in the actions one can only feel that this is the main reason of having the rituals in the play.

Costumes are of great importance to this play in that the gods have certain colors that are traditionally used and should not be changed. For example, Oshun is in yellow, Ogun Arere is in green and black with Obatala-Mother in White. Visually this play must be a tremendous challenge to take on, especially when Obatala turns into a man and then a dove in flight. I would guess with a dance company this could be done more so in movement and metaphor than say a play has to do it physically.

Music and dance are a large part of this play, with a ritual dance and chant starting each scene. Throughout the play some Gods have been given their own sounds. Iku the spirit of death has a rattle like sound which permeates many of the scenes long after he has left the stage.

Giving this to a dance troupe opposed to an acting troupe is by far the smartest thing they could have done. When I think of rituals and ceremonies, music and movement are in the forefront. Western churches have grown so much in the last 20 years. More groups have small bands and large choirs for ritual songs and some like the southern Baptists often dance in the aisles.

Many people say actions are stronger than words and considering this play was done with a dance troupe many actions stand out more than the words. Some of the important actions that stick out to me were:
• Obatala, furious, erases the light.
• Iku, invisible, arranges for a beam of wood to appear within reach of Agayu.
• Iku, laughs with pleasure after Agayu beats Shango.
• Agayu leaves Shango to burn in the bonfire.
• The child Shango crosses the rays of the sun and is changed into a man.
• Shango passes his body through a burning flame
• Shango transforms into a bolt of fire.
• Shango removes his gown and taunts Ogun with his sex.
• Shango sleeping with his mother Yemaya.
As you can see, within this play there is a lot of action not spoken but shown by the actors/dancers.

With this play being a religious play you do have to ask, how much of the rituals are done to represent the ritual or how much are they produced to be the actual ritual? You will find in a small note on the first page that says “Although Elegua is not personified in this play, he is mentioned many times, and as the mediator between the gods and man, all sacred ceremonies must begin with a chant to him.” In my opinion the rituals are meant to be reproduced as real as possible but, performing this in New York, who would really know besides the actors and maybe a handful of people these were religious rituals? One has to even ask, why bring this to NY? Is it because Broadway is a place to introduce Americans to other cultures more so than a small town theatre? Would this particular production work on tour if given the opportunity to do so? I personally think it would hold its own in larger cities, but most Americans don’t often take comfort in things they are unfamiliar with.