One of the first fusion dance productions was created by Richard Loring. In "African Footprint," professional dancers show a mixture of classical movements and more than 2,000 years of African dance traditions, notes SouthAfrica.info. The second most popular Afro fusion production is "Umoja," created by Todd Twala and Thembi Nyandeni. Contrary to the first, Umoja is performed by untrained dancers coming from a variety of small African communities.
Not everyone seems to agree on the exact definition of Afro fusion dance. While some say it is purely South African, influences from the East, West and Central Africa can also be found in Afro fusion. Just like its name indicates, Afro fusion takes on influences from around the world, while its roots are mainly African. Classical ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, reggae, Cuban, Brazilian and African styles of dances are all combined to create this new inspiring and eclectic dance style.
According to AfroFusionDance.com, from the 16th to 19th century, close to a million Africans were captured by Spanish colonists and brought to Cuba to serve as slaves. As a result, the African population of Cuba became quickly important and Cuba's culture has been impacted by this segment of the population. Afro-Cuban dance was born from this time period and is said to represent worship of different African gods, which was not allowed under the Spanish reign. The movements of Afro-Cuban dance involve mostly pelvic and torso moves and are considered a sub-category of Afro fusion dance.
Similar to the dance style, Afro fusion is a mixture between contemporary and traditional African music. Depending on the sub-set of Afro fusion dance, the music can have influences from not only Africa but also other countries with a high population or African descent such as Cuba, Brazil and Salvador.