Culture Builds Community: A Model of Intercultural Connection and Education
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Culture Builds Community in Dayton, Ohio modeled an intercultural community-based after-school program incorporating five neighborhoods and distinct cultural styles of dance into one residency and culminating performance. In the spring of 2012, five neighborhoods and K-8 public schools participated in the two-month project. Each school studied a dance form rooted in the heritage of its neighborhood population, representing Appalachian, African American, traditional African, Mexican, and Turkish styles. Children studied cultural dance, music, writing, and spoken word with professionals in the community and engaged with a program curriculum about all five cultures. The five neighborhoods converged for a final public performance showcasing each cultural style and the connections and differences between them. Throughout the residency, project leaders partnered with local places of worship, community centers, and institutions of higher education to host events for the public where participants could learn about their neighbors' cultural traditions while sharing their own. Appalachian clogging and traditional folk music were elements of the Culture Builds Community program, which served as a model for intercultural community connection, education, and celebration. The increasing multicultural and diverse nature of our society requires us to think in new ways about cultural celebration and heritage. Culture Builds Community demonstrated one way to do this through sharing across cultures that encourages the discovery of connections and celebration among difference.
Culture Builds Community: A Model of Intercultural Connection and Education
Culture Builds Community in Dayton, Ohio modeled an intercultural community-based after-school program incorporating five neighborhoods and distinct cultural styles of dance into one residency and culminating performance. In the spring of 2012, five neighborhoods and K-8 public schools participated in the two-month project. Each school studied a dance form rooted in the heritage of its neighborhood population, representing Appalachian, African American, traditional African, Mexican, and Turkish styles. Children studied cultural dance, music, writing, and spoken word with professionals in the community and engaged with a program curriculum about all five cultures. The five neighborhoods converged for a final public performance showcasing each cultural style and the connections and differences between them. Throughout the residency, project leaders partnered with local places of worship, community centers, and institutions of higher education to host events for the public where participants could learn about their neighbors' cultural traditions while sharing their own. Appalachian clogging and traditional folk music were elements of the Culture Builds Community program, which served as a model for intercultural community connection, education, and celebration. The increasing multicultural and diverse nature of our society requires us to think in new ways about cultural celebration and heritage. Culture Builds Community demonstrated one way to do this through sharing across cultures that encourages the discovery of connections and celebration among difference.
