As the last song of the evening played, students from all corners of the room came together laughing, clapping and moving to the beat of an African drum.
Students gathered in the West Campus Apartments Activity Center Wednesday night to learn the art of African dance.
The Art of African Dance program was a part of this year’s Black History Month celebration, and co-sponsored by the African Student Organization and Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Lakeya Jones was the Black History Month committee chair over the Art of African Dance.
“Many people may not know that a lot of the dances they do today have originated in Africa,” she said. “These dances are rooted in African culture, and these roots form the basis of present-day Black history celebrations.”
Jones said she hoped the students attending the program had fun and learned something about African dance forms.
“This event was designed to be highly interactive, fun and easy for both men and women,” she said.
Vicky Huang, a marketing sophomore, said she was invited by a friend and decided to check it out.
“It was fun; everyone had the opportunity to come together and loosen up,” Huang said. “It was also a great way to meet people.”
Tiffany Polite, a finance senior, said she attended a creative arts school where students watched assemblies showcasing African dance.
“It’s interesting to learn about the different types of dance and the country in Africa they originated from,” she said. “Each has its own flavor.”
Jessica Potts, a sociology senior, said she thought learning the dance techniques would be difficult, but the members of the African Student Organization made learning easy and fun for everyone.
“They need to have another program like this again — and soon,” Potts said.
African Student Organization President Teaway Zehyoue said Wednesday marked the group’s first performance for the LSU community and hopefully more will follow.
Born in Africa, Zehyoue has a firsthand account of the impact dance had on her community.
“Dance is a part of African culture and self-expression,” she said. “Men and women of all ages use their bodies to express how they feel.”
Zehyoue said she was happy to see students participating and was even surprised that people remembered the steps.
“Anytime a person is willing to learn about aspects of Africa, I’m happy,” she said. “Because that means one more person will be educated about black history.”
Jermaine Watson, manager of the AACC, said the dance program was the most high-energy program Black History Month has hosted so far.
Black History Month Committee Chairperson Oren Ruth, Jr. said this year the
committee really wanted to
have programs that focused on the arts.
“Through dance, students have the opportunity to learn about Africa from a different angle,” he said.
A performance by the Sankofa Poets and Apollo
Players today will be the next Black History Month event.