To this Performing Artist and Instructor, Dance is a Powerful, Unifying Culture
“Years ago, I was teaching a dance history class in which two students--one from the island of Jamaica and the other from Bahrain Island—performed their choreographed pieces. It was remarkable to see that although thousands of miles separated these students geographically, there was a strong thread of similarity in both of their styles. It was then I realized that dance can be a powerful, unifying culture,” said Kevin McEwen, who has brought that unifying culture into the classroom at Queensborough Community College where he has taught African and Afro-Caribbean Dance, Music Video Dance and Repertory for the past eight years.
“Much of my work is centered on defending diversity, to provide opportunities for students to perform in safe spaces to be their authentic selves.”
Throughout this summer young artists and students have been taking part in Kofago Taraji, a traditional West African and Caribbean folklorian youth employment dance education program, developed by Kevin’s “Kofago Dance Ensemble.” “It is dedicated to training the next generation of “dance folklorist,” dancers who are steeped in the cultural traditions that are vital to maintaining traditional African diasporic arts.” These young artists and students from across CUNY have been performing at the ongoing Queens Boro Dance Festival which will hold performances throughout September.
Kevin’s artistic passion for West African Dance was sparked decades ago by the renowned KanKouran West African Dance Company which he saw perform at a black history event at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. “I jumped at the opportunity to take the company's dance classes and soon became a part of their community.”
If his dance training, teaching career, and educational achievements were marked on a map, it would look like a flurry of crisscrosses from one city to another. Remarkably, his journey—which began in Brooklyn, where he was born—eventually led him to Queensborough, where he took college courses while a high school student at Francis Lewis High School in Queens. He attended Hampton University in Virginia to study business management and joined the Majestic Dance Troupe that performed there at basketball games.
He returned to New York where he went on to earn his master's degree in dance education from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education, focusing on Dancing in the Professions. “I was in my mid-30's at the time I enrolled and utilized my experiences to expand on what I learned in other dance companies. A lot of my research focused on teaching dance at the collegiate level and in the community which led me to Queensborough. I was so impressed and excited to join this exceptional dance program which already had a solid foundation that allowed me to add into their rich curriculum.”
That said, Queensborough isn't the only place where that research has led him.
He also teaches West African and Caribbean dance, Body and the Society and Choreography and Improvisation at Lehman College where he has been a full-time professor for the past two years, and for a time he taught at the Gloria Eve School of the Performing Arts in Hempstead, NY.
During his tenure at Queensborough, Kevin has produced seven full-length Kwanzaa productions, bringing together performers and students to celebrate the holiday’s storied history. His choreography represented Queensborough at the 2020 American Collegiate Dance Association’s national competition.
“I am committed to encouraging and inspiring a younger generation of dancers, many of whom have been disproportionally affected by covid. They bring so much to the table and are eager for an outlet to express themselves.”
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