West African Dancing : West African Dance Head Ties

A traditional head tie will add authenticity to West African dance performances. Learn about the head tie portion of the costume in this free dance lesson video.

Expert: Caren Calder
Bio: Caren Calder is an instructor at Lotus Music & Dance in New York City.
Filmmaker: Paul Muller

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[Nwuese]

this isn't a gele and people don't wear geles to dance.

Just letting you know

[vixxy02]

this is bloody rubbish,and un-authentic

[MrKratoni]

LOL! THIS LADY WANT TO KILL ME, WITH LAUGHTER! She's confused, that's not even a gele. Also all West Africans don't even say gele, gele is a word from the Yoruba language. Is she West African self? Make she go sit down, i see she's trying to learn more about her roots, but please say information you know.

[sunny9886]

Am a yoruba guy from Nigeria Gele simply refers to as scarf in yoruba language that's all. its just only that the yoruba people where the first peaple who introduce gele to the westerner and the way it was been tied in different ways to show case the beauty of yoruba women and nigeria in general even in other part of africa so because of that the westerner used the word gele please stop blaming the lady thanks

[EarthaKit2]

Ma'am, the material doesn't have to be the same color or even the same fabric. As long as it is elegant.

[vixxy02]

@Nwuese Sister! Why are you even wasting your time with this clueless cash&carry idiot! Just because the fool is married to a Senegalese woman, he now thinks he's an authority on West African affairs! how stupid and pathetic is that? And judging by the language he uses..."mutherf****k, it's obvious his wife must be looking for her green card, to put up with his shit!

We know who we are, and what is ours, and it's only a useless clueless imbecile that would call a piece of cloth 'Gele'!

[Nwuese]

@Hervinbalfour Next you'll be going to Chinese people and insisting to them that your nightshirt is a Qipao.

A Qipao is only what the CHINESE say it is. What anybody else says is IRRELEVANT. The only people that can clearly draw the lines for what is and isn't something are the people of the culture that that thing belongs to.

Gele is a Nigerian item and what this lady is wearing is NOT gele.

[Nwuese]

@Hervinbalfour And yes, Nigerians weren't the first women to tie a piece of fabric on our heads but WE INVENTED GELE. and WE get to say what it is and what it ISN'T, and it definitely is NOT what you are saying it is not Senegalese people. Even if Senegalese people wear Nigerian fashions and Nigerian clothing, that does not give them the right to change its definition.

Gele is what Nigerians say it is. Why? Because WE MADE GELE. It is OUR CREATION therefore WE and ONLY WE can define it.

[Nwuese]

@Hervinbalfour Just because you and a group of ignorant people call head ties and scarves gele DOES NOT MAKE THEM GELE.

Gele refers SPECIFICALLY to stiff damask headtie tied in satellite form.

I don't CARE what you want to call it. What you call it does not make it what it IS. Yes, Gele has spread throughout west africa but that does not make any random head tie Gele.

If that's your reasoning then we should start calling bathrobes kimono. Gele is NOT any piece of fabric. Deal with it. Tough!

[Hervinbalfour]

First of all smart ass I am fully aware that a gele is SPECIFIC Nigerian word.

But apparently you are THE ONE that's stupid because the term GELE has spread throughout WEST AFRICA out of Nigeria and into Senegal where MY WIFE is from. There the word has come to mean ANY piece of fabric that is worn on the head which is what i was referring to based on that cultural understanding.

So YOU sound stupid. And Nigerians weren't the first women in African to tie a piece of fabric on their heads.