shared distance

dance studio

shared distance dance studio is a series of dance tutorial videos geared for Oberlin community members of all backgrounds and modeled by Daring Dance's Surviving and Thriving series.

This project attends to the social disconnect made extreme with COVID-19. The pandemic has asked us to remain distanced from our friends and family in our isolated homes for the sake of public health. shared distance believes that this does not mean that the community disintegrates with this new reality. shared distance affirms that dance is inherently a communal activity meant to be shared and elicit joy across bodies. shared distance draws from a long tradition of many communities utilizing dance as a means for survival. It is our hope that through this program, Oberlinians can continue to remain connected with the community through dance.

Sogolon

A video tutorial of Sogolon by Jasmine Mitchell. Sogolon, a Malian (Bamana) dance from the Segou region originates from the Bozo people, a Mande ethnic group, and is often referred to as "masters of the river", as they are predominantly located along the Niger River in Mali. The Sogolon dance itself has various movements that reflect the actual act of fishing and is often performed by the Bozo people during tribal celebrations while wearing brightly colored masks. I thought it was ironic that the dance has a rich history of mask-wearing; even though we are wearing our masks for a much different reason.

Finding Fluidity From Our Roots

Hello all! I am Emmacate Sauer (she/her) and I am a 2nd-year dance major at Oberlin. In this video I am sharing a movement meditation I devised which centers around grounding ourselves to the earth in order to nourish our bodies and release/bring attention and care to any places of tension, anxiety, and/or trauma. In the spirit of shared distance’s mission to elicit joy across bodies I hope this practice will allow you to find some pleasurable movement and can be an indicator of the care you need today. I hope you are drinking water and hugging trees!

Music credits:

Still/Sound by Olafur Arnalds

Zero by Olafur Arnalds

We Contain Multitudes by Olafur Arnalds

shared distance kara 1.mov

1) Barbara S. Gaerlan, "In the Court of the Sultan: Orientalism, Nationalism, and Modernity in Philippine and Filipino American Dance".

2) Theodore S Gonzalves, The Day the Dancers Stayed: Performing in the Filipino/American Diaspora.

dance Pandanggo sa Ilaw

Hello! I am Kara Nepomuceno (OC'20) dancing the second shared distance video with my younger sister Gia. In the spirit of "elicit[ing] joy across bodies", we are sharing a version of Pandanggo sa Ilaw, a Philippine folk dance translating to "Dance of Light". It uses small candles or lamps and is often danced with a partner.

This tutorial is based on choreography by Samahan Philippine Performing Arts and Education Center for the Pasacat 24th Annual Parol Festival. The music is a recording of Samahan's Rondalla Ensemble.

Pandanggo sa Ilaw is one among many dance forms of the Philippine archipelago performed in the United States. We hope you check out the readings to learn more!

dance the electric slide

Originally commissioned by Daring Dances, our first video is Al Evangelista and family guiding us through the Electric Slide.

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