Tumbaõ

Hi! My name is Jamie Gazaii. I am a senior at Lehigh University and the president of Tumbaõ, a Latin Caribbean dance team here on campus.

2020 into 2021 has been a very tumultuous time, with a variety of challenges, and I think it’s fair to say that 2020 really brought to light so many issues that lay latent in society, in our governmental systems, and within ourselves personally.

We had so much time to reflect, review and reimagine how we wanted to move forward and grow into 2021. Not only did we inaugurate a new president, but we are inaugurating a new normal: new means of communication, work, daily routines, and also new ways to express ourselves, and how we choose to express ourselves. And one of the ways that I've chosen to express myself, especially into 2021, is in dance.

As a part of new beginnings, I think it's important to use the creative as a means to heal from the past and grow into the future. And I think dance is a really powerful tool to educate, empower, create new imagery, and create community.

Tumbaõ was really based on these ideas, that also coincide with the values of global citizenship, which include community, inclusivity, diversity of thought and culture and people, as well as education. We really wanted to be a source for the Bethlehem community as well, as well as for the Lehigh community on campus.

So some of the things that we have done and plan to do are working with the local middle school. We’ve done something called Tumbando El Sistema, which were talks centered around addressing anti-Blackness within the Latin community. And we perform at a variety of events to highlight diversity and the Latinx culture, which include Fusion, Dance Fest, International Bazaar, Spec Spec, Founders Weekend, and Diner en Blanc. And the team, especially this year, used dance as a cathartic tool to have fun, reconnect, as well as communicate a variety of messages.

In this year’s performance, we chose to highlight various Afro-Latinx styles such as Afro-Puerto Rican and Cuban Salsa, Colombian Mapalé, Honduran Punta, and other Latinx and Caribbean-inspired songs and dance. This was chosen deliberately to highlight the immense diversity within the Latinx community and showcase the strong African roots in much of Latin culture.

Each dance is high energy, joyful, and chosen to be in stark contrast to our experiences in 2020. And we’ve chosen to inaugurate positive energy and positive changes into 2021, with full intentionality. As a result, I hope to inspire you all, and the Lehigh community, of the importance of dance, and bring awareness of the dance community here at Lehigh. And I hope to spread the word to other students, and people around my community, that Tumbaõ can be a creative outlet for you, and a Lehigh family as well.

So now you can view our 2021 performance.