Diversity Statement

Universities and colleges, like most other institutions and systems in this country, were created for cis-gender, heteronormative white men and women.  For many decades, and still occurring, members of the BIPOC community are not referred to as academics or scholars – despite the numerous amounts of intellectual BIPOC people who have made significant shifts in society and within institutions. Many students of color are left behind in education systems, as white advisors are not always equipped to help students of color succeed.  There are few Asian or Asian-American women or men within the educational system.  The small handful that I have met, and am blessed to call my mentors, have been inspirational to me and continuously push me to progress in this system with ferocity, confidence, and collectedness.  As a queer, Korean-American woman, my skills as a scholar and artist are constantly undermined. However, the drive and commitment I possess to dismantle the preconceived notions of Asian and Asian-American women propels me forward.  Additionally, I feel that there is much conversation about decolonizing dance culture and education, but there is more talk than action taking place.  I believe that the process of decolonizing dance begins with hiring BIPOC instructors and dismantling the idea of “high art” (Western European dance styles) vs. “low art” (ethnic dance styles).  

I attended two predominantly white universities to receive my degrees and education in dance. In both of those universities, I felt disconnected and undervalued as a student of color because I was not offered the same attention as my white counterparts. Instructors did not know how to assist me with my thesis topics because the subjects were connected to my ethnicity. This is the reality of being a BIPOC person in academia, and I know that other students of color experiences are similar to mine. Understanding diversity along with inclusivity is integral for education systems. In order to be successful in creating diverse, open-minded students, dance programs and universities must first come to understand diversity along with inclusivity. 

As an instructor of color, I find it imperative to incorporate historical context for the courses I am teaching.  Students begin to expand their way of thinking and critical analysis when they are presented with information that isn’t the “standard”. The lexicon that surrounds dance is incredibly Eurocentric and fails to highlight the intersectional, and interdisciplinary, contributions made from dancers of color.  I make a point to implement these contributions of other cultures and BIPOC people into my lesson plan so that students understand how dance got to where it is now and where it has the potential to go. Being based in a homogenous state such as Colorado, I’ve experienced multiple encounters where students of color express their worries, troubles and interactions with racism, discrimination and prejudices within the dance world (either at a studio or institution).  As a result, I have dedicated to creating a multi-dimensional teaching approach that heightens the student experience with writing, theory, philosophy, critical-analysis of writing.  

My goal as a dance educator is to implement true diversity and inclusivity into the educational systems.  My goal is to reassure BIPOC, gender non-conforming, LGBTQ+, differently abled, low and working class students of their skills, their worth, and validate their abilities to decolonize and work against Eurocentric viewpoints to make their voice, style, opinions, and person visible and heard.