African Dance – College Admission at Loyola

I am already getting close to finishing off my fifth week in the spring semester!

Where has the year gone?

With the organizations that I have been a part of, we have done a lot of work on Loyola University Chicago’s campus and off.

In the video above, my African dance team, AfroDescent, performed a reggae-dancehall routine at the Pan-African Night on Jan. 26, in Mundelein. This was a benefit night that the African Student Alliance collaborated with a local nonprofit organization, the Pan-African Assocation.

As a kick-off to their 5k event in May and as a thank you to their benefactors and community members, my team wanted to be a part of it as well to show off our new routine.

It was a great night of community with both Loyola students and the community of the Pan-African Association, as well as with the immigrants and refugees they support.

Watacheza – Let Them Dance

By Antoinette Isama | April 13, 2012

For a good part of the semester, I along with the executive board members of African Student Alliance and AfroDescent have been planning this event for the Loyola community that will take place tomorrow!

Watacheza (Swahili for “they will dance”) is an event where we are offering free African dance classes, a cultural component with Minianka Dance Ensemble, and great food and music! We wish to end the year right with sharing our love for African dance with Loyola in Centennial Forum Student Union.

The classes we are offering are South African dance, West African drum and dance, and Khaleeji belly dancing (North African style).

I am excited for this event because this is the first time we have done this, and with the help of the department of Student Activities and Greek Affairs, this would not have been possible. They have helped us with every step not only with this event, but with all our events we host throughout the year. By helping us stay on top of space reservations, performers contracts, catering, and promoting, we come to these events with a good turnout.

The good turnout makes all this planning worth while, along with those who are not familiar with African culture to walk away with something new. That is what I am looking forward to on Saturday!

AfroDescent Performs at MGC’s Triple S Show

By Antoinette Isama | March 30, 2012

Click here to see the fun! – Triple S Show Performance

On Thursday, the dance group that I choreograph for, AfroDescent, had the opportunity to perform for the Multicultural Greek Council’s Triple S Show. The “s” in Triple S stands for step, stroll and salute, three elements that are very important in multicultural Greek life.

The dance that we practiced very hard for is called the “Azonto,” a style that has emerged out of the cities of Ghana. With the Azonto, one can tell a story while grooving with the down beat of the music. It is a style that allows the freedom of forming one’s own style, while staying in sync with who you are dancing with. The link above shows our take on the new style.

We had a blast performing at this event. Mundelein Auditorium was virtually full of people from different sororities and fraternities from Chicagoland schools and students of the Loyola community. I hope you enjoy our video!