"Behind-the-scenes" on this episode means calling back the ancestral and indigenous practices that are integral to both dance pedagogy and performance. We talk with Dr. Ojeya Cruz Banks, who specializes in the unique intersections between African diasporic and indigenous Pacific dances. Dr. Cruz Banks share insights on the role of ethnography in dance research, what to make of "ancestral currency", and how altar making can support performance and practice. She even graces us with a beautiful song from a recent performance piece, which we play during our movement break.

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Produced & edited by OreOluwa Badaki and Azsaneé Truss with support from the Digital Futures Institute (DFI) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Check out more DFI podcasts here. Don't miss the latest episodes from Season 2 of the Curriculum Encounters podcast with Drs. Jacqueline Simmons and Sarah Gerth van den Berg! 

Theme music: Unrest by ELPHNT on Directory.Audio 

Licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

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