Program / Event Details

This workshop teaches elements of movement and music and explores when coupled they create a specific kind of dance we call, Percussive . Students learn that percussive dance exists in varying cultures around the world and has been used to tell the history of a people, make comment on current events, communicate emotion, and to showoff hard earned dance skills.

The South African Gumboot (also called, Bootdance) is a percussive dance created from a people’s will to survive in extremely harsh conditions. In addition to its cultural significance, learning of the Gumboot dance allows beginners to practice many fundamentals of dance and music.

This residency has been known to inspire the participation of the most reluctant anti-dance people in the room! Students connect through the universality of rhythm and before they know it, they are getting an introduction to dance!

The Percussive Dance Experience requires:

No changing
No leotards
No tights
No need to remove shoes

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As our world gets increasingly smaller, and we become more aware of our differences and the cultural indifferences that may lie within; it is as important as ever to guide our work with a rhythm of compassion and a constant movement toward understanding. Through percussive dance and its seamless combination of movement and music we are afforded the opportunity to embody the experience of others and gain some historical-cultural understanding.

Reflection: In this residency we connect two performing art forms and learn of their connection to life with a historical example of the ability of the arts to bring awareness to an important issue and effect positive change. How might such connections be of relevance in creating positive + productive, supportive + sustainable environments of learning?