Competition routines can be opportunities to showcase stories from a range of cultures and perspectives. But without careful consideration, the line between inspiration and appropriation can begin to blur. Here’s how to avoid cultural appropriation and instead create routines that will help students of all backgrounds expand their horizons.
What Is Cultural Appropriation?
In a competition setting, cultural appropriation occurs when routines rely on stereotypes of a marginalized or minority culture in an attempt to portray that culture onstage or borrow its traditions. According to Canadian choreographer and dance teacher Ming-Bo Lam, that “often results in a watered-down, superficial version of someone’s culture and, at its worst, turns it into a caricature, erasing that entire group’s humanity.”
As a veteran competition judge, Broadway performer Richard Riaz Yoder all too often sees “dancers wearing makeup to make them look more like a particular ethnicity,” he says, “or wearing a traditional garb made for ceremonies or historical purposes” unrelated to the dance. Lam points out costume catalogs advertising “China doll” or “Arabian Bollywood” outfits. “Both lean into the exoticization of culture and people, notably women of East and South Asian descent,” she explains.
To illustrate how movement, too, can be appropriated, Vikas Arun, competition judge and co-founder of Project Convergence, a performance company blending tap dance with bharatanatyam, recalls judging a routine set to a popular Bollywood song. The dancers used hand gestures and steps meant to evoke classical Indian dance, though they clearly did not have that training. “People should feel free to create using whatever music inspires them,” Arun says, “but just like every other dance style, culturally specific movement vocabulary isn’t something you can ‘try on’ to win at a competition, without the proper training.”
Doing the Work
According to Yoder, the easiest way to steer clear of appropriation is for teachers and choreographers to ask themselves while creating a number, “Am I paying respect to the culture from which this music, dance, choreography, or costume originates, or am I using that culture to tell a story that is not my own?” For Arun, choreographers interested in exploring another cultural dance style should, at minimum, seek the perspective of an expert (and compensate them for their time). “They can look at a draft of your piece and suggest any changes, or share ideas on how to properly execute certain movements within that style,” he says.
If no one on faculty has the necessary training or experience in that style, Lam also suggests hiring someone who does to lead a master class for students, or to guest choreograph. “This helps you prioritize authenticity, discuss the history of the cultural dance form with your students, and directly support the culture you’re learning it from,” she says.
Creating Connection
Yoder and Lam both encourage studios to share educational resources about appropriation. “Ensure your values are integrated within your guidelines and materials, so dancers and teachers are aware of what is and isn’t appropriate,” Lam says. She also recommends that, when possible, conventions bring in instructors who specialize in different cultural dance styles, to provide new learning opportunities for dancers and teachers alike. Yoder advises judges who witness cultural appropriation to direct all comments towards the routine’s choreographer or studio director—the people who have the power to address it—rather than the dancers. Arun agrees: “If I’m seeing something I think could be considered appropriation, I’ll specifically say that my next comments are for the choreographer only, and allow time for someone to pause the critique before continuing.”
While confronting cultural appropriation can be uncomfortable, it can also lead to conversations that move the dance community forward. “I don’t want this generation to lose their curiosity and wonder about all the incredible styles of dance out there because of how it will be perceived,” Arun says. For Lam, drawing inspiration from the music and movement of others is what cultural appreciation is all about. “What’s most important is being willing to learn what may be new information to you, and remembering that small changes can have a big impact,” she says.
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