Entering the theater of the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago around 9am on Thursday September 19 gave me nostalgia, as I remembered taking early morning dance classes in my first few years of college. The large room was filled with dancers and educators, eager to find out what the symposium had to offer: six different sessions with multiple guests leading and discussing their research and embodied studies of rhythm.
Session 1: “Backstories” set the day up for an array of different interpretations, information, and embodiment of what rhythm is and what it means.
Courtney “Deadshot” King, a recent Columbia College Chicago graduate, took us through a guided improv on how to find your own rhythm to flow through life’s transitions. We shared verbally some of what we have been through recently, small or large: moving to a new apartment, getting out of relationships, starting new jobs, quitting old ones, birthing new life. Thinking took us into embodying our own physical rhythms then creating sounds with our movement. This started out as an internal connection with ourselves, but slowly moved into connecting with others.
Then Kiana Cook shared her experience exploring Krump dance in different parts of the world, specifically South Africa. She had the opportunity to do ethnographic work as part of her University of Michigan Master’s program. Kiana had us begin by walking around the space with the groove and three of the rhythms of Krump: a bounce, a bounce step, and a triplet step. We exchanged these rhythms with others while some “buck” beats were booming through the speaker. Kiana discussed the histories behind Krump and its ultimate connection with African Diasporic movements and rhythms. She discussed the film “Rize” and how for most Krump dancers it is how they learned about the dance form, even for those in South Africa. Kiana found that every Krump community has added their own interpretations and cultures into the dance.
The final speaker Mallory Peterson discussed her research on Lindy Hop. She discussed the history of the dance form and how it had gone from a predominantly Black dance, to having a resurgence in predominantly white communities. These shifts in representation also shift the rhythm and flow of how the dance is viewed and performed. Instead of a social dance, it has become a novelty and competitive, with swing dance competitions being the most popular way to perform and see Lindy Hop today.
Session 2: “Traditions” was a more concrete and direct approach to rhythm as we learned the histories and lineages of rhythm in Western culture and specifically Black and African diasporic cultures.
Presenter Shireen Dickson had a profound knowledge and embodied perception of these rhythmic traditions. She discussed histories of rhythms, first defining some terms such as “rhythm” and “dants”. She stated that American rhythm comes from Africa, specifically with the traditional drums, which creates a more complex structure than string instruments which were popular for European settlements. She also touched on indigenous rhythms and the similarity to African traditions, incorporating drums into daily life. After sharing an in depth presentation of these traditional rhythms (such as, ring shouts, buck dancing, tap, footwork, military rhythms, second line, step teams, and hand patterns such as juba, hambone, soul clap, and hand clapping games), we embodied them through a soul train line improv session. Shireen played rhythmic music from history, from the early 1900’s to today’s Hip Hop. This session was a fantastic view on traditions and how important rhythm is to our own cultures here in the United States and how rhythm has played a role over time. Ultimately, rhythms come from music and sound which influence the dances that embody each specific rhythm.
Session 3: “Snack and Groove” created a space where we could explore finding rhythm with others.
After the second session there was a lunch break and a short session that encouraged symposium participants to share a groove and rhythm with others while having snacks provided by the event. Despite space issues and having this session in the lobby, Columbia College Chicago alumni Jeremiah Green and Taraja Mumbeja taught us some movements that we then exchanged with another person face to face. The movement was meant to be done similarly to the electric slide and create a sense of connection with others. However, since this session was limited by time and space, it ended with a freestyle circle (cypher) and a chance to freely express and exchange grooves with either the steps learned or other movement that came up. People went in together and moved together, going along with some funky rhythmic music. I felt this session should have been extended upon and the space was not ideal to move in. However, Jeremiah and Taraja made it work.
Session 4: “Polycultural Polyrhythms” showed how other cultures conceptualize rhythms and embody them through movement.
This session focused more on physical embodiment more than the presentation style of the previous sessions in the theater. Featuring Indian dancer Kiran James and Venezuelan performer Camila Rivero Pooley, the music was provided by Joyce Lindsey—a renowned musician and accompanist at Columbia College Chicago. Kiran shared some of his research on neuroscience and how the brain remembers and thinks about rhythm. This led into a physicalized practice of embodying Indian rhythms that follow different musical structures like counts of 7 instead of 8. Camila shared different Latin rhythms such as Cumbia, Salsa, and Bachata. She taught us a Salsa step and shared how to make it our own by playing with different levels and timing.
Session 5: “Timescales” explored sound as a more broad look at the overarching concept of rhythm.
The first part was an embodied workshop led by Kaleena Miller who had us begin in a circle and share reflections on the following questions: “What first memories of sound do you remember? How does it make you feel? What sounds are comforting or feel like home?” Many responded, sharing stories of their first memories of sound, or sharing why a specific noise is comforting to them. For me personally, I remembered my grandmother and other family members singing a song to me that had my name in it. This song is one I still remember today and cherish as it is in my grandmother’s native language, Acholi. These memories and thoughts guided us into an embodied practice of focusing on sound. We were given the task of listening and responding with our own sounds, specifically sound that was not vocalized. We were able to see, hear, and explore how movement creates sound, and ultimately realize that there is no sound without movement behind it.
The second part was a presentation of dance work done by Sarah Marks Minisohn and Silvia Garzarella. Set in Italy in an old town that was built out of a mountain, the work explored layered time imprints through choreographic creation: exploring how the rock is formed, listening to the sounds of the place, and identifying timescales through the fossils in the rock. Silvia was from the town, while Sarah embraced the culture and learned how important the rock was to the community and still is. A video of movement that showcased a dancer finding different ways to become a part of the rock, fitting their hands and body into different holes and sections of a house that used to be a part of the mountain, was very inspiring and like nothing I had ever seen or heard of before. This work truly envisioned the importance of nature and how we as humans have become very disconnected from it.
Session 6: “Time Space Continuum” left open an array of different ways to view and approach rhythm in our dance world and real-life world.
The final session of the symposium began with two Columbia College Chicago alumni, Charles Pierson and Wyatt Sutter who led us through an improvisational score that involved feeling individual groove and rhythm, similar to how we started the day. This individualized freestyle turned into a community exchange with Wyatt and Charles’ vocal guidance. We moved through the space, acknowledging others, and finding rhythms with each other. We then partnered up to have a more direct rhythmic exchange based on natural improvisation. Partners exchanged in a physicalized call and response, taking turns moving while the other person watched. Rhythmic exchange was a common theme throughout the symposium and was truly emphasized here.
Then Brendan P. Behan shared his research on hyper-rhythms, discussing some of the embedded biases in dance forms such as ballet where harmony and grace is defined by the limbs excluding the core and hips which is a central part of other cultures such as African and African diasporic dances. The presentation emphasized how dance practitioners need to recognize these biases and indifferences that set up a hierarchical system within the field of dance. Brendan also touched on the rhythms in our environment; the Earth itself has a rhythm and contributes to how we make our way through life.
Overall, this dance symposium felt almost like an intensive rather than a conference. There were so many opportunities for embodied practice as well as intellectual gain and understanding. The exceptional line up of guests offered in depth presentations or physicalized practices for participants to embody. The theme of rhythm opened my eyes to the importance of rhythm in our movement and cultures. It is easy to forget something as simple as your first memories of sounds or how important rhythm was for those suffering oppression. My experience of these sessions was something so unique you just had to be there to get the fullness of what was discussed and practiced.
Banner Photo: Snack and Groove Symposium Session “Live 4 Today” by Jeremiah Green and Taraja Mumbeja (center), Malika “Myka” Okot (right). Photo by Julie Lucas.
