{"677344":{"#nid":"677344","#data":{"type":"news","title":"AfroDance Team Connects Campus to Culture","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe AfroDance Team was founded in 2022 as part of the African Student Association to add a dance element to its annual Taste of Africa event, but the desire to further embrace the culture\u0027s rich dance history led to the group becoming a full-fledged organization in 2023.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow 40 members strong, the AfroDance Team performs across campus and hosts interactive workshops, showcases, and philanthropy events to celebrate and share Africa\u0027s rich and diverse culture with the Georgia Tech community through dance.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaya Leveille wanted to learn more about the club after seeing a performance video on Instagram during her first year at Tech. The biomedical engineering student didn\u0027t let a lack of dance experience stop her from looking into the organization, and she has encouraged prospective members to follow her lead. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022AfroDance is accessible to all skill levels. Our choreography committee delivers these fun and engaging dances, created with everyone in mind, and teaches them in a simple way. While it may look intimidating at first, you\u0027ll have it down by the end of practice, and the process is rewarding and empowering,\u0022 Leveille, the club\u0027s secretary, said.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERoutines often include dance moves from different African cultures. Leveille explains that the club provides a welcoming environment for anyone looking to learn, connect with their culture, or \u0022just have fun.\u0022 She feels the club\u0027s growth is a testament to the community\u0027s willingness to seek new experiences. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I describe the club as one giant family. It\u0027s a good-natured atmosphere where no one\u0027s there to put you down or make fun of you. Everyone will encourage you to get into the dance and give it your all. You can embrace your culture, and if you are away from home, it\u0027s a way to tap in and have that sense of belonging on campus,\u201d she said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to its growth in membership, Leveille credits the Institute for expanding its profile on campus. In the spring, the AfroDance Team had just celebrated its first anniversary and was offered the chance to perform at halftime of a men\u0027s basketball game.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe AfroDance Team practices twice weekly at the Exhibition Hall and performs throughout the semester. For Leveille, it provides a break from the stresses of day-to-day student life. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It\u0027s really important to have organizations like AfroDance at Georgia Tech because it\u0027s really easy to feel isolated while in college. You\u0027re surrounded by people, but you can get so caught up in keeping up academically that you don\u0027t have the chance to branch out, and this team is a great way to expand your inner circle,\u201d she said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis semester, the team will perform at the Dance Company at Georgia Tech showcase on Nov. 2 and the annual ASA Taste of Africa event on Nov. 22. Students interested in joining can follow the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gt_afrodance\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAfroDance Team on Instagram\u003C\/a\u003E and join its GroupMe for information about weekly practices on Fridays and Sundays at 7 p.m.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"full_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"With no experience required, the AfroDance Team welcomes all students to embrace the rich and diverse history of African dance.  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWith no experience required, the AfroDance Team welcomes all students to embrace the rich and diverse history of African dance.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"With no experience required, the AfroDance Team welcomes all students to embrace the rich and diverse history of African dance.  "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2024-10-07 14:25:17","changed_gmt":"2024-10-22 20:17:23","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-10-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-10-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675269":{"id":"675269","type":"video","title":"AfroDance Team at Georgia Tech Connects Campus to Culture","body":"\u003Cp\u003EWith no experience required, the AfroDance Team welcomes all students to embrace the rich and diverse history of African dance.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1728504524","gmt_created":"2024-10-09 20:08:44","changed":"1728504524","gmt_changed":"2024-10-09 20:08:44","video":{"youtube_id":"v7M9Hy8NahE","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=v7M9Hy8NahE"}},"675270":{"id":"675270","type":"image","title":"AfroDance Team at Georgia Tech","body":null,"created":"1728504622","gmt_created":"2024-10-09 20:10:22","changed":"1728504622","gmt_changed":"2024-10-09 20:10:22","alt":"AfroDance Team at Georgia Tech","file":{"fid":"258874","name":"Image (21).jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/10\/09\/Image%20%2821%29.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/10\/09\/Image%20%2821%29.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":9967518,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/10\/09\/Image%20%2821%29.jpeg?itok=sOC0ZJbu"}}},"media_ids":["675269","675270"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/gatech.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_eKFJyHvVpJaTCIu?utm_source=newsletter\u0026utm_medium=email\u0026utm_content=More%20Information%0A\u0026utm_campaign=Daily%20Digest%20-%20Aug.%2022%2C%202024","title":"Interested in having your student organization highlighted in the Daily Digest? Fill out a short survey to tell us about your group."}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"42931","name":"Performances"},{"id":"42951","name":"Student Art"}],"keywords":[{"id":"168069","name":"student org"},{"id":"167142","name":"student organizations"},{"id":"78731","name":"african student association"},{"id":"187289","name":"Taste of Africa"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E - Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}