September 17, 2025

248. Moncell Durden: 2.5 Million Years of Dance

54 minutes

This is Moncell Durden on dance education, culture, appropriation, and activism.

In this episode, renowned dance educator and ethnographer Moncell Durden, professor of dance for 22 years and founder of INTANGIBLE ROOTS, is back on the podcast and challenges fundamental assumptions about dance history and pedagogy. Moncell, whose groundbreaking documentary "Everything Remains Raw" was featured at international film festivals and whose work spans from Mop Top Crew to academic institutions, explores:

The house music revolution—why there are no "steps" in authentic house dance, how hip-hop dancers appropriated and codified a free-form club culture that was never meant to be systematized, and why you don't need to learn New York's claimed vocabulary to truly dance to house music

Musicality versus moving musically—the crucial distinction between dancers who reflect sound and true musicianship, and how understanding harmony, melody, and tone color transforms dancers into musical collaborators rather than mere interpreters

Dismantling ballet supremacy—why a 600-year-old European form cannot claim to be the "beginning of everything" when dance traces back 2.5 million years to the Paleolithic era, and the importance of understanding any dance form within its proper cultural and social parameters

Moncell Durden represents the cutting edge of decolonized dance scholarship and the preservation of Afro-Diasporic movement traditions. Whether you're questioning Eurocentric dance hierarchies, seeking authentic approaches to cultural dance forms, or exploring the intersection of embodied history and contemporary pedagogy, this conversation offers essential insights into reclaiming dance's true global heritage.

Watch the full episode here.

Show Notes:

Connect with Moncell on IG

Listen to Moncell’s 1st episode with WTMM

Watch Everything Remains Raw

Watch Check Your Body at The Door

Take Moncell’s Intangible Roots Course

Read the USC article

Listen to Chloe’s episode

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