an educational project on the history of social dance in general, with a particular focus on African American dance and performance. the project was initiated at Kyiv’s Am I Jazz? Festival at Closer in 2016, as part of the education program ЗВУК (SOUND), and has since evolved alongside alina’s doctoral research on post-colonial and performance studies at the University of Barcelona’s Department of Literary Theory and Comparative Literature.

through its various online and in-person activities, the project offers a convenient and accessible way to learn about dance and performance studies, as well as the global history of social dances. grounded in post-colonial, cultural, dance, and performance studies, the course aims to highlight the epistemological contributions of dance while encouraging critical thinking about issues such as representation, appropriation, appreciation, and the power of art to effect social change and justice.