Sega dancing is a joyous dance born from black African slaves in colonies, mixing African moves and beats to western dances.
Sega Tradition
Sega music originated among the slave populations of Mauritius, it then appeared in Réunion and later spread throughout the Seychelles. It is usually in 6/8 tempo and has an associated dance form.
Sega's exact origins outside the islands are unknown.
However, it is understood to have Afro-Malagasy roots and be a fusion of African or Malagasy music with European music.
The European influence includes folk dance music like polka, waltz and quadrilles.
Gatan Benoit suggested that sega came from Madagascar and Boswell notes there may be a link between sega and famadihana, a Merina death ritual.[1] Arago instead identifies it with chéga from Mozambique. He states that it is similar to the fandango and chica (dance) from Brazil whose origins are in African music from Mozambique and Angola. It was termed "African" by sega musician Jacques Cantin.
Sega is danced without the feet ever leaving the ground. Instead, the rest of the body moves.
This is directly relatable to the shackling of the feet, as the slaves once struggled to move whilst carrying weights around their ankles.