Gateway Dance Theater: Incorporating Diversity through Art

Last Friday evening I attended an event on campus which at first I assumed would be for entertainment purposes. Gateway Dance Theater is an organization based out of Des Moines that presents various cultural dances, striving to incorporate the different attire, tools, and rhythm instruments of these different cultures. Coming from a background with what would be a surprisingly significant amount of dance experience for a male, I could be critical of what I saw as flaws in coordination. However, I want to focus on the goal that is being forced through the visual effort.
As the Gateway Dance Company does, learning about and honoring different cultures is a worthwhile goal. Living in the near-post-globalization world, we ever more quickly come into contact with people different from ourselves. The America that my parents and teachers grew up in is very different from the America of today, which of course, will be vastly different from the America of tomorrow. Being born, growing up, and living in the Midwest has somewhat sheltered me and some of my peers from what the rest of the U.S. is like. Many demographic polls show that in 50 years, whites will definitely not be the majority in America.
So what does this mean for the sheltered Midwesterners like me? It means that we have to be completely open-minded and truly embrace people of different cultures and background than those we are experienced with.
As a future educator, this a concept that is wholly applicable. Entering into the world of teaching very soon, it's necessary to realize that diversity in the classroom will forever be increasing. It's absolutely necessary to always make sure students feel and know they are welcomed as part of the class. Learning about and warmly accepting students' backgrounds is integral to our success as teachers today.
Gateway Dance Theater helped give me ideas on how to incorporate cultural information in exciting ways, and that understanding and embracing diversity will lead to success in my future classroom.