Quadrilha (Quadrille) Brazilian Dance
- What did you learn about a person’s experience in this country who is different from you?
Through working with my group with a few teammates that were familiar with this dance in their own culture, I learned that there's a time and place for serious issues and discussions, but also it is important to celebrate similarities in a fun way and that often inclusiveness is the antidote to sometimes 'forced diversity.' It's important not to shun people, turn them away, or rob them of their dignity even if they can be seen to have privilege. - What impact did this assignment have on you or your understanding of the world?
This assignment in learning about Quadrilha and working in my group reinforced that very often we are very much more similar than we are different. I think that the focus on labeling people and even over analysis of privilege can go to far and become divisive. It's great to learn about everyone's heritage, ethnicity, and background; but so often focusing on labels reinforces stereotypes, even if it's met with positive connotations. We should be recognized by our individual character, regardless of things that people could group us into. Sectioning us off can ignore the individual person that's inside, which is what really brings the value to diversity. That is one of the impacts that I found appealing with Quadrilha is that it's a celebration in good fun, very inclusive, and simple enough that everyone can come together and celebrate. - And... did it challenge any of your assumptions?
I had assumed that most dances were easily divided into privilege and oppression or acculturated in ways that transferred to privilege, but Quadrilha really is rooted as acculturation from rural European life. So as something that Brazil had acculturated, it's done in the other direction, but also in a way to celebrate together and value agricultural life.