Artistic Forces celebrates eras of African American History
By Michelle Rideau
The Creative Writing Club honored Black History Month with a poem reading at the Creative Artistic Forces of Delaware Technical Community College Feb. 25 in the Dining Hall.
The last Black History Month event at the Owens Campus featured a performance by Music Notes and closed with six performances by Sankofa African Dance Company.
Artistic Forces showcased a student art contest. All submissions were created based off of the theme, “What Does Peace Look like to You?”
Vero Villegas, Markeeta Nelson and Cathy Schicker received a $75 Visa Gift Card for submitting their artwork in the contest.
Sankofa African Dance Company
Sankofa African Dance Company Artistic Director Michael Brown has been part of the company for 20 years. Brown began drumming for the company at 10 years old after founder, Reuben Salters, introduced him to West African drums.
Now, Brown organizes the company’s events and hires choreographers to teach classes. His four children, whose ages span from 6 to 13 also participate in the group.
Brown said the purpose of the company and the word “Sankofa” parallel. As the word “Sankofa” means to “return to your roots,” the company is devoted to encouraging the community to be educated in their history. The company teaches West African dance, language and culture.
“It’s hugely important that we know where we come from and that helps to shape where we’re going,” Brown said.
Sankofa Dance Company substitute teacher Dwayne McCurdy has been a part of the group for five years. He was introduced to the company by a friend from high school. An already trained hip-hop, ballet, and modern dancer, he said the dance style appealed to him because it was unique.
“It was something I never did before and it broadened my horizon, and let me learn and experience new things,” he said.
McCurdy said the family-oriented company has made him a better person. Although, like many dance groups, there are tensions, in the end things come together.
“It’s like a family,” he said. “What you go through with your family, you go through with Sankofa.”
Black history has been important to his family Mccurdy said. Ever since he has been a part of the group he has learned more about his “roots.”
“You may not think it’s something that you want to experience, but just going back and learning your history, you will find a lot of things that you didn’t think were important really are.”
Creative Writing Club
Communications Major Chelsea Wootten, a member of the Creative Writing Club, participated as one of the poetry readers for the event. The poetry reading focused on different stages of civil rights from the past up until contemporary. Wootten said, this was the Creative Writing Clubs first public reading and it was a good start for the upcoming appearances they have planned.
“It was a lot of fun... and gets the ball rolling,” she said.
Wootten said her favorite part of the event was watching the Sankofa Dance Company perform.
“They were the best,” she said, “They had a lot more energy than I would ever hope to have.”
For more information on the winners of the Artistic Forces Art Contest contact, Denise Berry at yberry@dtcc.edu.
