Deepening Multicultural Competencies through Immersion in West African Dance Camps

ABSTRACT

Dance camps offer opportunities to refine artistic skills, learn complex routines, deepen personal growth, and celebrate movement with like-minded artists. An in-country West African dance camp experience provides an additional opportunity for deepening multicultural competency for both dance teachers and students by drawing on the richness that a culturally immersed exposure entails, by promoting an intentional reflection on our own cultural socialization process, and by taking advantage of concomitantly rich opportunities for emotional and psychological work. A focused desire to acquire and examine the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs necessary to process the complexities inherent in a dance camp experience will facilitate authentic learning and promote a socially conscious attitude. A culturally alert orientation entails an understanding of the multifaceted dimensions of the West African dance teacher, the dance(s) being studied, and personal behavior. A culturally alert orientation transforms and deepens the subjective expression and experience of West African dance.