MLKSB Ring Shout

A powerful, historic African American spiritual dance.  

The ring shout demonstrates how enslaved Africans adapted their traditional cultural practices to create a form of worship that blended African elements with Christian themes.

By incorporating movements, rhythms, and communal singing into their spiritual gatherings, they maintained connections to their heritage while also finding a means of expressing resistance against oppression.

This adaptation allowed them to forge a sense of identity and community in a hostile environment.

That white observers would call the ring shout hysterical and vaguely note that some religious meaning is attributed to it may help explain why the shout was rarely performed in front of outsiders.

In fact, ring shouts were often performed, semi-secretly, after regular religious services had been conducted (especially in denominations where dancing was frowned on).

Take the opportunity to witness in person a live Ring Shout for MLK Day.