Elise Nelson

Dr. Esplin
10 March 2016
The Core-de-culture
Long ago, an Indian War Chief counseled his people in the way they should walk. He
wisely told them that education is the ladder to success and happiness.
From on the ladder of an education
You can see to help your Indian Nation
Reach my son, and lift your people up with you.
The song that accompanies the story of the Indian War Chief is not written by a Native
American nor is it written by a professional. The music and lyrics of the crowning event of the
Brigham Young University Living Legends dance performance was created by two students who
were not trained in song writing or music theory, but the simple theme surrounding the whole
cultural event resounds in higher education.
In a world replete with technological avenues of interaction between continental, cultural,
and language barriers, the demand for experienced world travelers has skyrocketed. A student
who has not participated in a study abroad or internship outside their country of origin is seen as
two-dimensional potential employee. Universities pack their campuses with available studies

abroad, art exhibits, dance performances, and diverse cultural events to cram more international
understanding into their students minds. However, the most effective exposure to a culture that
does not require a passport is an event that catalyzes curiosity, prescribes participation,
and realistically represents the culture in its most natural element.
An effective tool to capture attention is a flashy, well-polished dance
performance. During the buzz of excitement of the audience, the ushers hand out programs
packed with background knowledge of each dance and its significance for that particular culture.
For those who are less inclined to engage in visual activities and who find that reading piques
curiosity, these programs ensnare said audience members to research more deeply after the
performance. The information previously quoted illustrates an Indian War Chief who taught
about education effectively lured me to research more on the Native Americans. The other
audience members who are less engaged in reading are captured by the flashy costumes and
intricate dance steps. Combining my literary curiosities and visual affinities, I found myself
Googling about the Yupik Indian tribe from Alaska who truly did use white fir on their heavy,
winter coats. My two-dimensional world of Native American Indians who wore loin cloths and
fought cowboys evolved into a diverse understanding of how Siberian nomads crossed the
Bering land mass and became the ancestors of well-dressed and scantily clad American Indians. I
was one step higher on the educational ladder.
Participating in an elaborate performance, however, doesnt necessarily guarantee greater
knowledge of different cultures. Do performers really take time to learn more about the culture
they were representing? Knowing from personal experience, it does not guarantee anything.
Being a current member of the folk dance team, I have not always learned more about the

countries I have represented because we performers get wrapped up in performing, in dazzling

the audience, not in the cultural background of the dance. One particular day, a student
researching Russia entered our dance practice wanting to ask some questions. She asked me first,
and I was embarrassed to confess that I did not even know if we were practicing a Russian or
Ukrainian dance. They both seemed similar enough, and I knew that geographically the two
countries were close and the languages were very similar, but I knew neither the origins of
the dance nor the background on the traditional dresses we were to wear. Thus, the audience who
participates the least in the cultural performance learns the most simply from reading the
program or from surfing the internet later.
A more effective dance performance is one that involves and includes the audience in a
less formal atmosphere. An audience member of a Living Legends performance will almost
always hear shouts and hollers from fellow islanders that welcomes him/her to participate and
join in the enthusiasm of the culture if such audience member were so inclined to do so without
any reservations. However, the separation of the dancers from the audience metaphorically
isolates the culture, putting it on display and distancing it from finding a place in the hearts of the
foreigners. This is why Polynesian dance classes and dance clubs are organized so all can feel
included in the cultural performance alongside the natives, bridging the geographical and
lifestyle gap that seems to separate the learner from the native.
A capoeira club night includes all three elements of an effective cultural
experience: curiosity, participation, and a realistic atmosphere. The club meeting is held in the
center of the social recreations building on Brigham Young University, openly displaying not
only the welcoming atmosphere but also a grandiose appreciation of the abilities of the human

body which makes it almost impossible for an audience to gather. Passers-by and gawkers
are encouraged to participate and those who relent (in whatever attire they haveeven students
in suits and ties are extended an energetic invitation) will be taught the basic moves. The only
separation that occurs is a separation into a less experienced and more experienced group who
learn less advanced and more advanced steps respectively. As is common in Brazilian culture, the
hand on the clock is less important than the hand to be shaken, so the late-comers are not scorned
in the least, as opposed to a late audience member.
To encourage participation even further, any newcomers are escorted by a more
experienced member into the roda, or performance circle. No one is excluded and all must sing
to the music to increase the morale of the circle and show at least one new move they learned
before being allowed to return to the circle. The night does not end without a performance from
everyone who attended. To decrease embarrassment and coax on the shyest of members,
the most simplistic moves receive more cheers and congratulations than even the flourishes and
fancy footwork of the very experienced professors. In this relaxed gathering, strangers quickly
become friends, demonstrating the purest form of the open, friendly Brazilian culture.
With the fun winding down, announcements of future 'batismo' datesotherwise known
as initiation into the capoeira family and a receiving of a white beltare marked in calendars
and commitments for other activities are confirmed. The capoeira event enlists perpetual
exposure to cultural festas and a true welcoming to the Brazil life and not just a Brazil-originated
dance to learn. Some of the instructors are native Brazilians, but they do not see their peers or
students as inferior foreigners who will never grasp the true identity and understanding of the
Brazilian way. They come with open arms and hearts to those who thirst to be part of the family

circle. No one is left in the dark but all have a spotlight on them as if they were the main
performance. Metaphorically or not, Brazilians do well with teaching their culture simply by
expressing their natural lifestyle that is centered around including and sharing everything with
others.
By the end of the night, the new faces have names and an open-ended invitation to
return whenever time and curiosity allows. By the end of the night at the Living Legends
performance, the audience is entertained and perhaps curious about a certain culture or more
enthused to learn how to dance. Not all dance performances result in a deeper knowledge of a
certain world culture, but to those who search to be more than entertained will recognize that
although the dance stage is flat, the world is not. The greater knowledge one has of the world and
its diverse anthropological history, the more apt one is to seek the past, connect to the present,
and improve the future for all. A big business seeks employees who understand where all their
customers are coming from so they can more accurately predict where the customers want to go.
The higher up the ladder of cultural education one goes, the greater the view one has of the
world.