AFRICANA DANCE FORMS with Simeon Peters on Wed, Oct 7th

THE CLASS

This interactive movement workshop introduces participants to African and African diasporic dance practices through rhythm, embodied learning, and creative exploration. Participants will engage with foundational movement principles, improvisation, and collaborative activities that highlight the connections among dance, music, culture, and community. Drawing from Caribbean and Africana performance traditions, the class fosters physical awareness, cultural understanding, and creative expression while encouraging participants to explore movement as a means of storytelling, identity formation, and collective engagement. No prior dance experience is required, and the workshop is adaptable for K–12, university, and community settings.

ABOUT SIMEON

Simeon Peters is a Trinidadian dance artist, educator, and emerging ethnographer whose work bridges African diasporic movement practices, community dance, and embodied research. He has performed internationally with UniverSoul Circus and trained at the Beijing Dance Academy and the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. Peters holds a BFA in Performing Arts from the University of Trinidad and Tobago and a Master of Arts in Community Dance from Ohio University. His research explores aesthesis as a somatic approach to Africana dance, cultural belonging, and identity formation through community-based practices rooted in Caribbean ritual and performance traditions.

What to wear

This that and the third

What to bring

This that and the third

Objectives:

• Physical Goals
  • Develop coordination, balance, body awareness, and rhythmic movement skills.
  • Explore fundamental movement principles including posture, alignment, weight shifts, and spatial awareness.
  • Build physical endurance, flexibility, and confidence through individual and group movement activities.
  • Strengthen the connection between movement, music, rhythm, and expressive performance.
  • Practice movement patterns that encourage creativity, improvisation, and collaborative learning.

• Cognitive Goals
  • Understand how movement communicates ideas, emotions, and cultural knowledge.
  • Develop listening, observation, and problem-solving skills through embodied learning experiences.
  • Identify and apply rhythmic patterns, movement concepts, and performance techniques.
  • Engage in critical reflection on the historical and contemporary significance of dance and music traditions.
  • Foster creativity by connecting movement exploration to personal expression and collaborative artistic practices.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate at least three foundational Caribbean and African diasporic movement patterns with rhythmic accuracy and proper body alignment.
• Perform movement sequences that integrate rhythm, coordination, and spatial awareness individually and in groups.
• Apply basic principles of call-and-response, improvisation, and collective movement practices during guided activities.
• Identify and describe the cultural and historical significance of selected African and African diasporic dance and musical traditions.
• Respond appropriately to musical cues by matching movement qualities, tempo, and rhythmic patterns.
• Collaborate respectfully with peers to create and perform short movement phrases or compositions.
• Demonstrate increased confidence in creative expression through movement exploration and performance.
• Apply concepts of embodied learning by connecting movement practices to cultural knowledge, storytelling, and community traditions.