Joselli Deans Presented at Alivin Ailey American Dance Center

Earlier this year, Professor Joselli Deans did a virtual presentation for the Alivin Ailey American Dance Center in New York City. The presentation was titled “Illumination Black Polyrhythms within American Dance.”

Here is the presentation summary from Deans: “The presentation discussed the contribution of Black dance and dancers to American dance, most specifically American concert dance. The presentation briefly establishes the commonalities of African dance on the continent, the use of dance in the Middle Passage and the transformation and contribution Black people brought to plantations life during enslavement, their  contribution to American dance performance from minstrelsy to the present, focusing primarily on American concert Dance. It was an Organizational Presentation for the celebration of Black History Month.”