The "Cool" Factor
Are our own biases stopping kids from trying more traditional dances?
Tell me if this sounds familiar?
Often we get calls from Grade 7/8 teachers, sometimes a very male dominated class, and the teacher asks "Well what style is cool, what has an easy buy-in to get my resistant students moving?". My wheels turn and I want to find a solution, so I suggest a Street Style, or energetic Afrobeats or even Bhangra. But I've started to second guess my suggestions...
As role models, we are the ones framing certain things as cool.
But isn't that the opposite reason of why we're here in the first place? We are on a mission of inclusion, of inviting cultures that have historically been excluded from the classroom. And why can't a Chinese Dance or Philippine Folk Dance carry the same "coolness" for your students.
Are we now conflating cool with... familiar?
Almost 15 years into dance education, I need to check myself because my actual belief is that all of our styles are very cool!
I know, I know, Hip Hop is "cool". It has both feet in mainstream culture. It is in our fashion and on the radio.
It is current and evolving.
And Traditional/Classical/Folk styles are rooted in the past. They are often defined and rooted in traditions.
So how do we flip the script on what's cool? Is history cool? What about living and moving history?
That does sound kind of cool.
As usual, I don't have the answers, just a lot of questions and a hope of inclusion.