Accommodationist Response: A Critique of Footwear in Costuming Recent Nigerian Ethnic Dances

Abstract

Costumes are visual language people use to express their cultural essences and identities. Specific dresses are expected to correspond to cultural details of the wearers; ditto costume used in playing roles in dances and acting. This paper aims
to describe the ways costumes are presented in dance performances on the Nigerian cultural stages. The main discourse is, however, on the fundamentality of costume in showing the ways of life of a people, which performance seeks to do in whatever
form it is fashioned. It raises questions about the necessity for the tangible cultural heritage of Nigeria in costuming the performances of Ondo, Imo and Nassarawa States’ Arts Councils with a view to appraising them within an ensemble. The data
collection derives from unstructured observation, photographs and secondary sources such as books and relevant articles. The findings reveal the inappropriateness of footwear in the total costume ensemble of some of the States Arts Councils and in traditional dance performances in Nigeria in relation to the cultural messages they are supposed to present. It then concludes that the
accommodationist response may need to be modified with the right choices of fabrics and designs in order to bring about correctness in the total outlook of costumes used for traditional performances, which are part of a people’s legacy.