G/wi-Buschmänner (Botswana, Zentralkalahari) - Melonenspieltänze der Frauen

Mehrere Varianten der spontan entwickelten Tänze. Mädchen üben die Schrittfolge, das Zuwerfen und Fangen des Balles sowie das Singen und Klatschen des Tanzrhythmus. Dem Spiel der Mädchen gesellen sich Frauen hinzu, und es entwickelt sich ein perfekter Spieltanz mit Rhythmusvarianten. Several variants of a melon-game dance which developed spontaneously are documented. Two girls exercise the game. They attract several adult women who join in, and a perfect melonball dance developes. Women standing behind each other form a circle. One woman holding a melon leaves the circles to perform a variety of figures and finally throws the melon to the woman following her while she returns to the circle of clapping and chanting women. The sequence of events ends with a round dance. The women form a circle and while the group dances a melon passes from one dancer to the other. Each dancer throws the melon backwards over her shoulder to the dancer following her.