Activism and History

My project was based on representing the underrepresented in the dance community. Minorites are still struggling to get the same opportunities in the dance world as other Caucasian people. The gallery exhibition "Persistence of History" by Dr.Midori Yoshimoto contained works of art that taught different aspects of history/ self preservation. One of the projects that I really liked was "Self Portrait" by Nina Katchadourian, which displayed a picture of herself with caterpillars on her lip to signify a mustache. She explains that crossdressing often seems unnatural, but the caterpillars on her upper lip signify nature itself. This piece is satirical and it relates to my project because the roots from where dance came from, is from African/Caribbean culture. Why do Caucasians get to be the faces of professional dance companies when dance came from minorities and their culture?




    The next piece from the gallery that caught my attention was the "Trade Canoe: The Dark Side" by Jaune Quick to See Smith shows a canoe and a army officer on one side and a Native American warrior on the opposite side. The side where the Native American is seen, shows colorful schemes in the backround which represent their culture and peaceful way of life. The opposite side of the canoe is much darker and the colors seem like they are bleeding, which represents the mass murders that occurred during colonization by the English. Colonization has taken many lives and wiped away culture and history that can never be attained again. This piece is relevant to my project because dance is a way to represent a certain type of culture by their music and the way they move. That is why it is so important for minorities to be given the opportunity to express themselves and their culture.





    This last piece called "American Guardian" by Roger Shimomura shows a soldier watching over a concentration camp that interned Japanese Americans during World War II. The soldier seems to be looking over at a young child riding his/her bike around. The child is clearly harmless and so were the other thousands of people who were United States citizens and were placed into these camps. The artist was taken to one of these camps in his early years of childhood and tells his story through art and actual history. Minorities have to go through daily struggles by being judged incorrectly because of stereotypes, and this goes hand in hand with the message I am trying to spread with my project. These unfair treatments can grow into much more severe problems if we don't open our minds and stop judging people based on superficial information.