Dance major Ilo E. received a Sally A. Radell Friends of Dance Scholarship to attend the Bates Dance Festival this past summer. Read on for a reflection of his experience through the description of various images captured throughout the festival
Photo by Olivia Moon Photography
“To no surprise Bates Dance Festival has left me FULL” is what I titled my Instagram post with a sigh of content. I had spent nearly the last two hours narrowing down my five weeks into 10 snapshot moments. As it uploaded, I flipped through each one, staring in awe and disbelief. “THAT’S what I look like?” is what I thought, prideful of the glow on my face.
In the first photo, the large gym windows pale in comparison to my bright smile. My black shirt and cornrowed hair fly up from my body in a dance of their own. This was taken during Shakia Barron’s street and club styles repertoire. I met Shakia within my first week at Bates. Immediately we connected, from her corny humor to her love for insane footwork that leave your feet pumping with adrenaline. Her in-depth knowledge of Hip-Hop history and practice exceeded my expectations, leaving me with a plethora of books, documentaries, and movies to binge for future research.
In another photo my green new balances float above the marley as my fingers snap in rhythm with the movement during Duane Holland’s Hip-Hop class. I remember first seeing Duane on stage my first time at Bates. Sweat dripped as he held a backwards handstand for minutes on end. He transferred his embodied knowledge both through lecture and movement, emphasizing the importance of Black American art and its continuum. Both Shakia and Duane’s inclination to teach in this way shifted and challenged the epistemology of Black art, music, and dance.
Another artist and educator I worked with, Kimani Fowlin, stressed the significance of amplifying my voice in order to strengthen my capacity. She pushed us to our limits energetically urging us to use our breath as we practiced traditional African movement. In another image, she sprints to stay ahead of my long quick legs. The green grass captured my shadow as I soared across it cupping the air in front of me. I can almost hear Okai, our accompanist, leading us in songs as he claps underneath one of the many trees on the field. Okai is a talented dance and musical Haitian artist. This cultural detail made his presence extra special to me given my Afro-Caribbean heritage. Numerous times my heart swelled as I learned and sang the songs of my ancestors.
Among the many new companions I made, I can’t help but to write about Kaitlyn Nelson. In another photo, next to my furrowed brows and bladed hand she squatted next to me, screwing her face as we embodied the unapologetic grace of our ancestors in the next photo. Throughout the program I stared at Kaitlyn in awe. Also of Afro-Caribbean descent, she never passed up an opportunity to whine her waist, screw her face, and express the grounding quality of our ancestral movement. Moving and creating with her allowed me to reclaim my Black feminine power, letting it pour through my movement.
To no surprise, Bates Dance Festival has left me full of pride, gratitude, magic, culture, power, and most importantly community.
Thank you for sharing this reflection Ilo! Click here to learn more about The Friends of Dance at Emory.
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