Mmụtaka
The name of the dance performed today is Mmụtaka cultural dance.
This dance is indigenous to the Ubaha Village in Umunze, Anambra.
The children and youth that perform in the dance are not from one community but from different communities.
But the dance group is particularly based in Ubaha village of Umunze.
Mkpọkịtị dance, from where Mmụtaka dance originated from, started in a school a long time ago.
In our primary school days,
Our attention was drawn to a particular dance we were formerly not aware of.
We showed interest and inquired about the style and time of performance of the dance. We learnt that 10am-11am is the time set aside for students to learn this daily in the school.
This particular dance time was preferred as a way to mitigate the sleeping habit of children in the class by mandating them to convene in the dancing ground once it is the set time.
The convening for the dance provides them the opportunity to exercise their body, slowing down their possibility to sleep off while continuing with the rest of the classes for the day.
So from the regular dance performances, the Mkpokịti group selects children that exhibited outstanding moves that proves their strength and agility to perform in the dance.
The students experience that they are able to stay awake in classes and this encourages them to continuously respond to the invitation to participate on a daily basis.
The dance activities demonstrated that only the strong can perform in it.
This prompted the name "Mkpokịti" as we were told.
Since then, they have continuously performed the dance. Mkpokịti has been in the limelight even before our secondary school days in the 1970s.
The dance has grown to be famous in different parts of the world.
They won several trophies in different dance competitions in Nigeria.
They became regular winners of such trophies in Nigeria.
As said in English, "they won that cup for keeps". They returned to Ụmụnze with their trophies and the honour has remained with the community ever since.
So, Mkpọkịti was always known as the lead before other dances during any performance.
This prominence of the dance existed till the death of the founder, Mkpokịti, whose name was named after the dance.But before his death,
The dance group segregated into several others with different names other than Mkpokịti.
Yes! We therefore called our group formed out of Mkpokịti, Mmutaka.
During our involvement with the initial Mkpọkịtị, acrobatic styles were performed as part of the dance.
People are of the impression that the performance has some element of magic in it but we correct that notion for people to understand that the performance is a result of years of mastery in the skill.
For example, we could liken this to the cinematographer on the ground who possesses a skill that someone other than that does not have as a result of years of practice.
His experience made him a professional in it.
So he has the right skill for it.
We recognize his mastery of this particular skill positions him better to operate the equipment other than someone without the knowledge.
His knowledge of the skill supersedes any other one even if it has an element of magic in it.
If anyone is in doubt about the dance style, we can show him it's possible without any magic by training him to perform in exactly the same way as we do.
That is the reason our dance is called Mmutaka
I had started performing in the dance even before I entered class one in elementary school.
In 1970, the dance group participated in the first National Competition in Art and Culture
We won a golden gong as it is called in English in the competition.
We won again in Ibadan in 1971.
We returned home victorious again from the Kaduna competition in 1972.
The dance group brought honor to the Igbos through their victory in the competitions.
The trophies won by the group in the competitions brought a lot of popularity to the igbos.
So the dance performance you witnessed here today started a long time ago.
My dear, it is been ages since its inception
If dancers lose track of the exact dance step at any point, this one, the drum, is used to draw their attention to the right dance step.
This one is called ịchaka.
This one contributes to the gravity of the dance and other instrumentals are used in its place when not available but even so, the beating will not be balanced.
This one is called the wooden gong.
This one accompanies the talking drum.
You make music from this by tapping on it like this
This sound from this supports this one.
The Metal gong does same work as this one….. beat
This is the big drum.
The beat from it leads this one and others.
This is the wooden gong. it accompanies other dance instrument.
This is the work of this particular drum
This one is only played once the dancers start dancing.
Ero, this is what we call it… beat
This is also played once we commence dancing and communicate to us on each dance step to exhibit at any particular time.
The message of this instrument is only understood by the dancers on the dance ground.
The same work is done by the flute.
The flute is used during most of the performance including the time for acrobatics. Igbo: Even person dey up, if the person make mistake, the flute go tell you.
The flute guides the dancers on the particular style to exhibit at any particular time during the acrobatics display
It calls out to the dancers with the exact style of dance to perform.
And correct them where they make mistakes in the steps.
This instrument doesn't need to be in the dancing ground or high in the acrobatic display to communicate to the dancers.
It can communicate to the dancers from even a distance.
This one. calls on all others