Afrofusion dance instructor shares love for movement
Leslie Yancey is pictured at her home in Whitefish on Wednesday morning. (Mackenzie Reiss/Daily Inter Lake)
Name: Leslie Yancey
City: Whitefish
Occupation: Teacher/artist in residence
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Q: Tell me a little bit about your background in dance.
A: I had my own company, Yancey Dance Theater, in New York. It’s dance theater so basically it’s modern dance. You’re using voice and character, acting-wise, as well as modern dance technique.
Q: Tell me about the class you teach in Columbia Falls.
A: I teach Afrofusion in Columbia Falls at Imagine Health. I’ve been teaching afrofusion since 2010. We’ve been in a couple different studios, but this is now our home.
Q: What is Afrofusion dance?
A: Basically, the dances that are taught are based on traditional West African dances. I gave myself leeway. I’m saying Afrofusion because I’m not from West Africa, I’m from Brooklyn, New York.
The beauty of African [dance] is it’s interpretive. I’m sharing what I’ve learned from my traditional teachers and sharing that with everyone, yet encouraging them to find their movement, their style within that. Every person has their interpretation of the steps.
It’s a conversation, the dance and the drumming. The drumming guides the steps. Ideally we would have 20 drummers or even 10 or even five because each drummer is playing a rhythm. The more drummers, the more rhythms are being played.
Q; How did you discover African dance?
A: When I retired from performing, I went into the healing arts and was going stir-crazy. Then I was introduced to African [dance] in New Mexico and loved it.
Q: Why African dance?
A: What attracted me to African dance is there’s no traditional body types and it encompasses all ages. There’s no one style, no right way, wrong way. Yes, there are traditional dancing steps, but it’s far more interpretive then ballet, modern, etc.
Q: Tell me about a moment you’re proud of.
A: It was an honor to be asked to be one of the guest teachers at the Montana Dance Arts Association, that was just in October. That’s where dance studios from throughout the state of Montana come and bring their students. It was really an honor to meet different teachers from different parts of Montana and work with their students, and share the art form with them.
Q: What do you enjoy about dancing?
A: Dance is life. In our culture we kind of compartmentalize things where dance is everywhere, really.
Q: What would you tell people who say they can’t dance?
A: You know that saying, if you can walk, you can dance. Dancing and music are universal languages.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: I love to ski on the mountain — that’s a dance. I love to teach and work with all ages. I do creative movement in academics. I’ve been doing that for years. I’ve worked with autistic [people] and senior citizens.
It’s amazing to see how when senior citizens are moving, when there’s music, people who have Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, it almost disappears.
We’ve kind of compartmentalized and put our elders in homes and they have so much wisdom and so much to share with everyone.
Q: What do you enjoy about teaching?
A: For me it’s a give and take. Everyone is always teaching me. Teaching is a true exchange.
It’s communicating on all different levels. Dancing is also spiritual. You’re working on all different levels — you’re working physically, mentally and spiriutaully.