PMSLA 2023 Colombia Dance Study Tour

Setting the Scene

In Cali, Colombia, more than 12,000 kilometres from New Zealand, University of Auckland doctoral dance student Teuila Hughes had just participated in an Afro-Dance workshop at the Universidad del Valle. In the open theatre space, with black curtains framing their movements as art on canvas, she and fellow dancers pounded the wooden floors to the rhythmic beats.

It was an exhilarating introduction to Colombia. She and five other University of Auckland colleagues arrived the day prior as part of a group programme funded by the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Latin America (PMSLA). And yet, the most powerful moment was yet to come.

Colombian students, ranging in age from about 16 to 25 and visiting from the coastal town of Buenaventura, dashed off to change clothes and returned to the stage to showcase their own skills—a dance of their “story” as “Colombianos.”

The sound of quick-paced drumbeats filled the theatre. The dancers’ faces and bodies assumed the expressions and positions of struggle, fear and resistance; with each passing second, new acts of protest emerged: outstretched hands that shielded a dancer from an invisible attack, looks over shoulders for impending threats and at one point, a stare-down into the audience by a dancer being lifted off the ground by another.

“That was the most memorable, impactful experience I witnessed in my time in Colombia,” Auckland student Joanna Cook said. “Because they were so real about telling their story through movement. They weren’t performing something for us but sharing day-to-day lived experiences through movement. It communicated really loudly. It does an amazing job of telling stories because it connects on an emotional level. That kind of translation really landed.”

Bronte Jones agreed. “It was definitely one of most remarkable experiences I’ve ever had,” she said. “My Spanish was minimal and I haven’t experienced much culture outside of New Zealand. It’s still emotional thinking about it. It’s one of those things that picks you up and shakes you.”

That day in late August served as the opening to a four-week programme in which Hughes, Jones and four other Postgraduate students from the University of Auckland’s Dance Studies programme participated, as part of a prestigious PMSLA opportunity. The programme was initially funded in 2019, but was suspended until 2023 due to the COVID-19 border closures. Finally, this past year, the vision of the University of Auckland’s Dance Studies Department took flight.

“Dance Studies was very interested in furthering our Pacific Region partnerships,” said Dr. Ralph Buck, head of Dance Studies for the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries. “We were aware of a similar Pacific-looking focus at Univalle.”

Connection through Movement

This sort of witnessing, connecting and sharing underscores the purpose of intercultural engagement. Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), which administers the Prime Minister’s Scholarships on behalf of the New Zealand Government, aims to develop the country’s next generation of global citizens by strengthening, in particular, New Zealand’s institutions’ connections in key Asia and Latin America countries. The University of Auckland has secured funding for several group programmes in recent years, ranging from internships in Mumbai, India and Bangkok, Thailand to indigenous-focused experiences in Brazil, among others.

For the Colombia programme, core activities included qualitative fieldwork encounters, where the Auckland students exchanged their vast understanding of kapa haka/haka theatre, Samoan, Tongan and Fijian dance practices with Colombian counterparts and their own contemporary dance practices. A Spanish/English translator was on hand to assist with translation.

When Prof. Buck pitched the idea of bridging cultures through dance, he emphasized the importance of honouring the “seen” and “felt” angles of connection.

“There is a potential that individuals do not feel strongly enough that they are part of a global community, part of a collective ‘we,’” he said. “This needs to change. Providing access to facts and figures can leave people feeling bewildered and disconnected, not necessarily empowered and poised for action. This is where dance and dance stories can make a difference. The stories and reflections on dance as both life and art might not immediately show people what to do to solve a situation, but they do have the potential to connect with the senses, emotions, mind and body.”

The Geopolitical Context

The country of Colombia has historically been a hotbed of civil unrest. According to Human Rights Watch and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, conflict-related violence remains despite a peace accord in 2016 between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government. Factors that contribute to discontent include socioeconomic inequality, organized crime, rule-of-law problems, rising debt and high levels of deforestation in the Colombian Amazon.

This instability—though certainly not the most prominent feature of the students’ trip—did serve as part of their learning experience. Classes on campus could be closed at a moment’s notice due to local protests, and the students from Buenaventura, for example, visited Cali (instead of Auckland students visiting the coastal town) due to safety precautions.

Auckland student Jasmin 'Ofamo'oni sees the connection to Colombian dance. “Dancing is a way they can come together…it’s a form of activism,” she said. “A message comes through—their passion, their resistance. It’s like they say, ‘I’m going to dance for hours because I’ve got something to say.’ It gives them a sense of stability amongst the chaos. Students might not know if their classes are happening, but they know, ‘on this night, at this time, there will be movement.’”

Research Grounded in Experience

Students’ experiences in Colombia, like that of Auckland students dancing in the streets with complete strangers and the workshop exchanges shared with other practitioners, will serve as supplemental data for their own doctoral research projects.

Hughes said she gravitated toward indigenous perspectives in Colombia due to their connection to those communities’ connection to the land. “There’s been a big broadening of my concepts and ideas,” she said. “Because we could physically embody those new ideas, it was really so valuable and beneficial. These are things that will come through as I complete by Ph.D., as I speak about how these ideas relate to the Samoan context. The biggest surprise to me is how similar Samoan and Colombian cultures are. The whole time, I was reminded of the islands—of Samoa and Fiji where I grew up. It provided a sense of home and familiarity in some way.”

When asked if such insights could be gained without leaving Aotearoa, the answer was clear.

“There is just no way we could have experienced this in a New Zealand classroom,” she said. “It’s the embodied experience that shifts the game. You could talk about it, read about it, but not experience it the way we did.”
 

A key component of this Prime Minister's Scholarship programme included fieldwork undertaken in Colombia, which will inform their own doctoral research. Below is a summary of their dissertations.

Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) and Latin America (PMSLA) are funded through the New Zealand Government, and administered by Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ). 

University of Auckland group programmes like the PMSLA 2023 Colombia Dance Study Tour are coordinated through the 360 International team at Waipapa Taumata Rau - The University of Auckland in collaboration with the lead Faculty/Department and overseas host institution.

For more information, please contact: 

Bobbie Noloboff
Outbound Scholarships Coordinator, 360 International