As someone who has had strangers at multiple parties and dances come up to me and try to explain how to move my hips and dance, I was not excited to learn that I would have to do that in this program. As a shy child from the suburbs outside of Boston, looking people in the eyes and talking to strangers was difficult for me to learn. Dancing was not even an option in my mind due to the fact that I struggle to interact with people outside my family and classmates. As a result, I developed a perception of dancing as an endeavor that I was incapable of doing even after I overcame my immense social anxiety as I grew older.
When I signed up for the WTIG Program, I knew I would have to dance through my dad and Ghanaian Auntie Edith in preparation for the trip. When the trip itinerary came out I was relieved. I thought the schedule was perfect since I would have a day to get to know the teachers in the cohort and get comfortable before the class on the second day. That’s why my heart dropped when Tete announced at the beginning of our opening meeting on Saturday morning July 8th that as a result of our speaker canceling in the afternoon, we were going to do our dance class after our meeting. I was anxious, but at the same time, I was grateful for the international trips my parents sent me on in high school and college that gave me experience in new, spontaneous, unusual, and uncomfortable situations while traveling. I took several deep breaths while my heart raced, and remembered I would not be kicked out of the program for my lack of rhythm and coordination in dance.
When we arrived at the dance studio on the campus of the University of Ghana, I was nervous when I saw a room full of undergrad dance students wrapping up a class. We were told to take off our sandals and enter. All the students filed out except for four who stayed behind to assist our instructor, Bokorvi. After he introduced himself and explained the significance of dance for himself and for Ghanaian culture my anxiety about the heat, the studio, the new people, and the unexpected drummers providing us with music began to dissipate. Similarly, to beginning any exercise or sport, we started out with a warm-up. We began with an activity that was the equivalent of a trust fall. I was paired with people that were substantially smaller than me, but I was walked through letting go and allowing myself to trust the people around me. Then we took it a step further and applied this common icebreaking activity in America to a meaningful cultural dance in Ghana where all of us were participating, laughing, and trusting each other. We played games that were the equivalent of duck-duck-goose and Simon-says that got us active and alleviated the feeling that this had to be serious and perfect. I was having a wonderful time.
After 45 minutes of doing these movements, we began to fuse them into a couple of dances. I struggled immensely with the steps but people kept me up and laughed with me. I appreciated Bokorvi’s attitude and willingness to slow down and stay positive about my struggles with certain movements. If I still failed to do it well that was no issue since the emphasis was on enjoying yourself and trying your best. I appreciated the explanations and demonstrations of the significance of different movements and routines. Although I was sweaty and offbeat, I was shocked to find myself happy and confident while performing a dance in front of the group with my dance partner which included a segment of freestyle dancing. At the end of the afternoon, I felt like I had done the most productive and enjoyable icebreaking activity of my life while getting to know my cohort, Ghanaian students, and the importance of dance in Ghanaian culture. I am grateful for the experience.
By Martin Williams, History Teacher Grades 9-11, Belmont Hill School, Belmont, Massachusetts
