There is still more work to be done, but it is a big deal that shifts like this are happening at UW, which is one of the institutions in the U.S. where the dance program has begun to incorporate changes in their curriculum to embrace dance styles that fall outside of the Western concert dance styles which are the norm in dance education. Dance majors at UW must now take classes in four different dance forms before selecting what they’ll specialize in, and UW has added progressions of classes in culturally-rooted styles like Salsa, Tango, and African dance. Despite the room for growth that still exists, opportunities like this concert and the support it shows for choreographers from outside the canon of Western concert dance are huge steps in the right direction towards incorporating more diverse cultural representation in college dance programs.
- Stephanie Fatooh, SeattleDances