Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

The nature and enactment of African dance that produces neurogenic tremors

Distinctly African health-promoting human occupations are under-researched in occupational therapy. Many occupational therapy interventions used in South Africa have been developed elsewhere and may be inaccessible to many. African dance that produces neurogenic tremors (ADNT) is an occupation that...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Toto, Sivuyisiwe
Other Authors: Ramugondo, Elelwani
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Division of Occupational Therapy 2022
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613508748705792
access_status_str Open Access
author Toto, Sivuyisiwe
author2 Ramugondo, Elelwani
author_browse Ramugondo, Elelwani
Toto, Sivuyisiwe
author_facet Ramugondo, Elelwani
Toto, Sivuyisiwe
author_sort Toto, Sivuyisiwe
collection Thesis
description Distinctly African health-promoting human occupations are under-researched in occupational therapy. Many occupational therapy interventions used in South Africa have been developed elsewhere and may be inaccessible to many. African dance that produces neurogenic tremors (ADNT) is an occupation that may already be accessible to many, and a potential resource for health and could be used in occupational therapy. Research Question: What is the nature and enactment of ADNT? Aim: The study aimed to explore, describe and explain the nature and enactment of ADNT among professional dancers in Cape Town, South Africa. Research objectives: To explore the perceived temporal, spatial and sociocultural conditions conducive for ADNT. To describe and explain the enactment of ADNT in terms of format, pace, and the sequence of steps involved in performing African dance repertoires that are known to produce neurogenic tremors. To describe the experience of those who participate in ADNT by exploring the subjective effect it has had on stress levels or during stressful periods. Methodology: Case study methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation were the data collection methods used. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. Findings: Four themes emerged from the study (1) Triggers: Improvisation, Energy and pushing beyond limits. (2) Essence of self: Embodying Africa through dance. (3) Leaving and returning to the body and (4) Creatures of the soil: Connected to the ground and beyond…for health. Discussion: ADNT is healing, relational, transcendent, and contextually situated. It facilitates self-acceptance (ubuwena) through embodying Africa (KwaNtu) and holds potential to promote social cohesion (ubuntu). It is mainly enacted through improvisation (on and off-stage), through which socio-historical-cultural intergenerational resources (isintu) embedded within, are tapped into. ADNT offers opportunities for connectedness with the self, other people, as well as with transcendent beings. Conclusion: This study has illuminated the nature of ADNT as an extraordinary human occupation that offers participants instances of personal and collective meaning-making, healing, and transcendence. Transcendence is proposed as a source of personal and shared meaning.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/36209
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:37:16.267Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2022
publishDateRange 2022
publishDateSort 2022
publisher Division of Occupational Therapy
publisherStr Division of Occupational Therapy
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/36209 The nature and enactment of African dance that produces neurogenic tremors Toto, Sivuyisiwe Ramugondo, Elelwani Ramafikeng, Matumo Occupational Therapy Distinctly African health-promoting human occupations are under-researched in occupational therapy. Many occupational therapy interventions used in South Africa have been developed elsewhere and may be inaccessible to many. African dance that produces neurogenic tremors (ADNT) is an occupation that may already be accessible to many, and a potential resource for health and could be used in occupational therapy. Research Question: What is the nature and enactment of ADNT? Aim: The study aimed to explore, describe and explain the nature and enactment of ADNT among professional dancers in Cape Town, South Africa. Research objectives: To explore the perceived temporal, spatial and sociocultural conditions conducive for ADNT. To describe and explain the enactment of ADNT in terms of format, pace, and the sequence of steps involved in performing African dance repertoires that are known to produce neurogenic tremors. To describe the experience of those who participate in ADNT by exploring the subjective effect it has had on stress levels or during stressful periods. Methodology: Case study methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation were the data collection methods used. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. Findings: Four themes emerged from the study (1) Triggers: Improvisation, Energy and pushing beyond limits. (2) Essence of self: Embodying Africa through dance. (3) Leaving and returning to the body and (4) Creatures of the soil: Connected to the ground and beyond…for health. Discussion: ADNT is healing, relational, transcendent, and contextually situated. It facilitates self-acceptance (ubuwena) through embodying Africa (KwaNtu) and holds potential to promote social cohesion (ubuntu). It is mainly enacted through improvisation (on and off-stage), through which socio-historical-cultural intergenerational resources (isintu) embedded within, are tapped into. ADNT offers opportunities for connectedness with the self, other people, as well as with transcendent beings. Conclusion: This study has illuminated the nature of ADNT as an extraordinary human occupation that offers participants instances of personal and collective meaning-making, healing, and transcendence. Transcendence is proposed as a source of personal and shared meaning. 2022-03-22T11:41:44Z 2022-03-22T11:41:44Z 2021 2022-03-22T06:13:34Z Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36209 eng application/pdf Division of Occupational Therapy Faculty of Health Sciences
spellingShingle Occupational Therapy
Toto, Sivuyisiwe
The nature and enactment of African dance that produces neurogenic tremors
thesis_degree_str Master's
title The nature and enactment of African dance that produces neurogenic tremors
title_full The nature and enactment of African dance that produces neurogenic tremors
title_fullStr The nature and enactment of African dance that produces neurogenic tremors
title_full_unstemmed The nature and enactment of African dance that produces neurogenic tremors
title_short The nature and enactment of African dance that produces neurogenic tremors
title_sort nature and enactment of african dance that produces neurogenic tremors
topic Occupational Therapy
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36209
work_keys_str_mv AT totosivuyisiwe thenatureandenactmentofafricandancethatproducesneurogenictremors
AT totosivuyisiwe natureandenactmentofafricandancethatproducesneurogenictremors