BATA DANCE Bata is a ritual form of dance for Sango, a deity in Yoruba land. It’s a communicave dance between the worshipers and the deity. Today, the dancers of Bata are found in both religious and social funcons unlike in the olden days when the dance was a sacred one performed strictly for Sango there are three known Bata drums of three different sizes which make up the collecve instrument for the Bata dance. The largest drum, iyá, is always played by the master drummer and sets the rhythmic acvity for the ensemble. The middle drum, itótele, "converses" with iyá while the smallest drum, okónkolo keeps a steady rhythm. The iyá ilu depicts the role of a mother which instructs the children. There is always a dance-drum relaonship, language development, and movement vocabulary between the dancers and the drummers.