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The Semiotic of the Igbabonnenlimi Acrobatic Dance

Bartholomew Uzoya-Okougbosun PhD

Abstract

The paper is an examination of thetraditions of the exoteric performance of the Igbabonnenlimi acrobatic dance of the Esan people of Edo state, Nigeria. It is an attempt to study what ordinarily cannot be comprehended through the orthodox Western scholarly tradition, an art, which nonetheless was experienced by a privileged group of initiates, that you may consider to be adherents of ancestral religion. Through the descriptive-qualitative approach, with primary data, the paper attempts to discuss in a lucid, almost subjective sense what was phenomenological experienced by the Igbabonnenlimi initiates. The paper finds that the Igbabonnenlimi acrobatic dance, in a poetic manner, typifies the identity of the historic Esan men. A demonstration of their will and aspiration to survive against all forces that could have eclipsed their existence as a race. It is a celebration of heroism, with the mastery of an art deeply rooted in magic and entertainment.

Keywords

IgbabonnenlimiAcrobatic DanceEsan traditions

References

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