With a friendly smile and a wave, Cheryl Wilkins-Mitchell welcomed the small group of dancers into the sunlit studio. Dancers sat on the floor, stretching and chatting quietly. Soon, they started swaying and stamping to African rhythms.

In the Ernie Davis Hall dance studio Saturday, the renowned modern dance choreographer led a modern dance workshop as part of the Office of Multicultural Affairs’ celebration of Black History Month.

‘It’s time to realize how important dance and music and visual arts are and how they all tell the story of a people,’ Wilkins-Mitchell said. ‘If you lose your arts, you lose who you are.’

The modern dance workshop was one of many campus events for Black History Month. By using dance to commemorate African culture, Wilkins-Mitchell created a space where people of all races and backgrounds could join in the celebration.

Wilkins-Mitchell began her dance career as an apprentice with the Dance Theater of Harlem, the first African-American professional dance company to emerge in America, according to the company’s website. She now teaches dance at the State University of New York at Oswego.

The workshop gave the attendees, a lively group of girls, an intense workout and a look into African culture. Several of the last steps in the modern technique class replicated rituals from tribal African history.

Emily Clinkhammer, a graduate student studying higher education, said she thought the workshop was an interesting way to learn about both African culture and dance.

‘Dance in any culture is a way to express feelings,’ she said. ‘It’s an important part of the black community, and it’s more interactive than sitting in a room with a bunch of speakers.’

The group of dancers first learned about Katherine Dunham, a pioneering African-American choreographer credited with revolutionizing American dance in the 1930s. Dunham created an Afro-infused modern dance technique still in use in American companies today.

During the workshop, Wilkins-Mitchell introduced the dancers to Dunham’s technique. The technique features both classic and modern movements, and the group combined it with fast-paced, intense African steps and swinging arms. They moved to Dunham’s technique, merging seamlessly into American dance creations like break dancing and West Coast swing.

‘Because of women like Katherine Dunham, we can trace many of our street and social dances back to their African roots and characteristics,’ Wilkins-Mitchell said.

After the dancers were sufficiently warmed up, Wilkins-Mitchell demonstrated some classic Dunham steps to the driving beat of African drums. Bending their knees, the dancers stayed low to the ground, a sign of respect for Mother Earth.

Wilkins-Mitchell focused on correct positioning of the body as well as the freedom of the body to connect and move to the music.

‘Kids who dance hip-hop in the streets nowadays — that style of dance came from African roots, and they don’t even know it,’ said Wilkins-Mitchell during the class.

She peppered the class with intriguing tidbits of African history, such as how early African civilizations used their everyday activities like hunting and farming as inspiration for their cultural dances. She said the steps are part of the tapestry of modern African dance.

Cedric Bolton, coordinator of student engagement of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said he is proud to bring this kind of event to Syracuse University’s campus during Black History Month. Bolton is also inspired by the way dance can tell the vibrant story of a culture.

‘Our culture plays out in dance when we think about how far we’ve come as a people,’ Bolton said. ‘Dance symbolically could mean so many things for us.’

sjtaddeo@syr.edu

Published on February 19, 2012 at 12:00 pm