Deepening Multicultural Competencies through Immersion in West African Dance Camps

Abstract

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.