Member Profile: World Dance Theatre
“We are trying to help create ‘globally literate students,’ ” says Suzi Myers, co-artistic director of World Dance Theatre and resident dancer. No small feat considering the red tape nightmare that is most American public school systems. “It was a challenge, to say the least.” But the members of World Dance Theatre don’t shy away from challenges. Especially when they don’t know ahead of time the enormity of the hoops through which they must jump to accomplish their goals. “We were sort of flying blind. I think that was helpful. We kept going because we didn’t know that we couldn’t do it,” she recalls.
World Dance Theatre was founded two years ago by five dancers from around the globe with one common mission — to highlight cultural similarities while celebrating their differences through dance. The group has been touring internationally, performing authentic folk dances for audiences everywhere. It didn’t take long for the members to realize the power behind what they were doing. “We would receive standing ovations from residents of tiny villages in Spain, in Argentina. They had tears in their eyes because we were giving them something they had never experienced before. And we did it without a spoken word. It was remarkable,” Suzi remembers.
They knew it was time to drive the message home — literally. In order to expand their reach, World Dance Theatre decided to develop a residency program and take it on the road to schools in the United States. “We wanted to reach the children — to teach these kids that there are differences among people, but also similarities, things that make us all part of the human race. If we could teach them to unify through dance, it could lead to more global understanding,” Suzi asserts.
So World Dance Theatre learned the ABCs of navigating a system that is not known for its user-friendly interface though trial and error, lots of determination, and a foot in the door thanks to a teacher-acquaintance of one of the dancers. “We knew someone on the inside who helped us reach the right people,” says Suzi. “We pitched our program until they were foaming at the mouth. So it became a matter of vendor numbers and contract numbers and reference letters and …it has been pretty intense,” she laughs. Nevertheless, World Dance Theatre has managed to dance its way into several schools to date. “We’re still working on getting all of our paperwork, but we’re there right now, in the schools, making a difference.”
On a classroom level, the program takes information off the page and brings it to life. But in a broader sense, Suzi believes she and the rest of World Dance Theatre are doing their part to equip children with the skills that will help them learn tolerance of others and open-mindedness to things unknown. “Every corner of the world has dance and music in one form or another. It’s our common denominator. If we can understand each other on that level, maybe we can begin to understand each other on deeper, more profound levels.”
Visit www.worlddancetheatre.com to learn more.