Baltimore Black Dance Collective celebrates heritage and inspires the future through dance
BALTIMORE —- As we continue our Black History Month coverage we are taking you inside the Baltimore Black Dance Collective.
It is a dance advocacy organization that began in 2019, and it is home to dozens of Black-owned and operated dance studios and organizations.
Together they connect different genres, styles, movements, and history to one place —- the stage.
"Watching them dance and watching them do my choreography, it's almost like a fever dream, because I remember when I was them.," explained Bri'Asha Aldridge, a dance teacher at the Maryland Academy of Dance.
She's what many of these dance students aspire to be, and what people like Camille Weanquoi hope to protect.
Weanquoi founded the Baltimore Black Dance Collective in 2019 to help represent Black dance artists within the local art scene.
"When you see the development of a people, you really go to the art to see what's happening," said Camille Weanquoi. "We noticed that our art, the art scene, really wasn't encapsulating the wealth of dancers who have a heritage that is connected to the African diaspora. So, we decided, as artists, we needed to make a change."
Weanquoi helped create a network of Black dancers who are a resource for each other.
"We work to make sure we're connecting with the local art scene that many people might not know," said Weanquoi.
It's how Weanquoi met Jihan Von Hendricks who is also known as 'Mama Jihan'--- the founder and executive director of Keur Khaleyi African Dance & Cultural Institute.
"Keur Khaleyi actually means house of children in Wolof which is the native tongue of Senegal," said Jihan 'Mama Jihan' Von Hendricks, the founder, and executive Keur Khaleyi African Dance & Cultural Institute.
Together they connect dancers with each other so they can share their art and its history with the community.
"You get some ballet. You get tap, all of that comes from Africa," said Mama Jihan.
"We've seen it on Netflix when we talk about, you know, the Baltimore club dance being reflected all over the world. People are making sure that they're paying attention. Now, more so than ever before," explained Weanquoi.
Weanquoi believes you can teach history—-specifically Black history through dance.
"Dance is the one way we can do that. That is how we bring forth a change. That is how we excite people to really look at history as a cultural context for who we are and where we're going in the future," said Weanquoi.
Darby Iva Pack also works with the Baltimore Black Dance Collective and founded The Maryland Academy of Dance — on an idea and a dream to building a better future.
"It resonates as a dream realized and not a dream hope for," said Darby Iva Pack, the founding director of the Maryland Academy of Dance. "Black dance is legacy. It's love, it's a foundation. It is everything that I hoped and dreamed of."
Pack's dream is to teach her students how to be successful but also the history of the dances they do, so they can carry it with them wherever they go.
"They have a clear picture of where they could be in 10 years from now. And that's powerful," said Pack.
Pack and Weanquoi both believe dance gives people of all ages the opportunity to develop and experience community on a cultural and artistic level.
"Nina Simone said, artists got to speak to their work. They get to let their work speak to the signs of the time," said Weanquoi.
"And being able to teach dancers that look just like you, I think it is an amazing thing. It's an inspiring thing," said Aldridge.
Now, thanks to the game changers of today and those before them Baltimore dance students can tell the stories of the past on stage putting them all in the spotlight.
You can see this and more on Thursday, February 13 at 7:30 pm at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts in Owings Mills.
You can get ticket information and learn more about all the artist's and dance company's by visiting their website.