This anthology includes 19 true stories written by a diverse group of renowned performers, dedicated dance teachers and dance scholars who:
Explore their craft in locations tied to their family history and discover how dance helps them connect with their heritage;
Build bonds and community with locals through a shared love of movement;
Challenge their assumptions, embrace the unknown and find surprising new truths by saying yes to spontaneous opportunities; or
Reflect on who they are and discover how dance can make them a better version of themselves.
The stories take place in 17 different countries: India, China, England, Ghana, Senegal, Indonesia, Philippines, Hungary, Angola, Brazil, Morocco, Cuba, Guinea, China, The Bahamas, Argentina, and Mozambique. They highlight various dance traditions, as well as unique aspects of each country’s geography, history, demographics and educational systems.
The book is divided into four parts:
Roots: Join Makeda Kumasi (West African dance), Ted Samuel (Karagattam), Courtney Celeste Spears (a dancer with Alvin Ailey), and Kara Nepomuceno (pangalay) as they travel to a country connected to their heritage.
Finding Community: No friends? No problem! Connecting with others through a shared love of movement helped Damilare Adeyeri (Hungarian dance), Carolyn McPherson (kizomba), Tina Shield (lindy hop), Gabrielle Brigida Macalintal (Ugandan dance), and Melaina Spitzer (samba and forro) find their place.
Unexpected Experiences: In these stories, Alex Milweski (break dancing), Nneya Richardson (Cuban salsa), Laurie Bonner Baker (lindy hop), Peter Benjamin (corrido), and Natalie Preddie (ballet) are surprised and enriched by what they discover through their dance travels.
Personal Development: Lisa Josefsson (Mozambican dance), Khalila Fordham (Ghanaian dance), Zsuzsi Kapas (Joged Amerta Movement), Helen Styring Tocci (West African dance), and Megan Taylor Morrison (West African dance) share stories about how dancing abroad challenged us to live with more self-expression, grow our self-love, heal old traumas, or otherwise evolve in positive ways.
PRAISE FOR DANCE ADVENTURES
This book is indispensable in light of the current social momentum with regard to Black lives and the dismantling of violent systems. Many of the stories portray the experiences of individuals in whom multiple languages, customs, and spaces coexist, and for whom dance is the unifying factor.
–Moncell Durden, Assistant Professor of Practice, USC Kaufman School of Dance
A heartwarming, humorous, and enlightening anthology, Dance Adventures is a pivotal text capturing rich narratives that can help students prepare for the unknown and integrate their own life-changing experiences from dancing abroad. –Rick Southerland, MFA, Associate Professor of Dance, Goucher College, past president of the National Dance Education Organization (2016-2018)
