VOA标准英语2012--At Smithsonian Festival, Art and Music from Black DC Neighborhoods

 

At Smithsonian Festival, Art and Music from Black DC Neighborhoods

One group at the festival performs using song and dance to showcase African traditions that are deeply rooted in Washington's black Southeast neighborhoods.

The group is performing "Taratibu," a South African dance that combines military drill movements with African traditions. This kind of cultural expression is front and center at this year's festival.

"Taratibu teaches their history and respect for each other, respect for your community and for your elders. And it shows the young people that they have to work as a community and not individually in order for us to make it as African Americans in this country," said Arla Scott, who directs the dance company. She says these teenagers are learning about their roots. 

This part of the Folklife Festival celebrates the creativity of African American neighborhoods in the southeast corner of the nation's capital. It highlights the connections among residents and how they pass along traditions through dance, art and music.

African-inspired art, especially murals, dot DC's Southeast neighborhoods. Jay Coleman says he's doing his part to keep neighborhood traditions alive.

"A lot of traditions are being passed on and perpetuated¹ through the Southeast community through the churches, through the dance. All of those things that are a part of that community are still rich. It's a resilient community, and I think it deserves to be highlighted because much of what D.C. gets props² for, a lot of it was rooted in Southeast," Coleman said.

Storytelling is also a rich tradition in African American culture.

Through his work, Baba-C teaches black history. "Washington, D.C. was not always a city where people of African decent could move freely without looking over their shoulders, and a lot of us took refuge in Southeast. But Southeast has a rich tradition of overcoming what you have perceived of not having and making it a strength not a weakness," he said.

Rap evolved in African American communities but it's rooted in African chanting. It too was on display.

Festival organizers say it's important to celebrate DC's southeast neighborhoods and pass along traditions that shaped the lives of African Americans there. 

1 perpetuated   

vt.使永存（perpetuate的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• This system perpetuated itself for several centuries. 这一制度维持了几个世纪。
• I never before saw smile caught like that, and perpetuated. 我从来没有看见过谁的笑容陷入这样的窘况，而且持续不变。 来自辞典例句

2 props   

小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。