MES Alum Emily Goldman Featured by Watson Institute

April 17, 2015

The Watson Institute spoke to Emily Goldman, MES alum, class of 2014.5, about her Malian dance classes at Studio 8 in Amman, Jordan.

Name: Emily Goldman

Originally From: West Hartford, CT

Concentration: Development Studies, Middle East Studies

What is the West African Night dance workshop?
I teach Malian dance at Studio 8 in Amman, a local dance studio focused on using the arts for social impact. I am attempting to increase awareness about West African cultures here in Jordan by using dance as a means of community building and education.

How did you become interested and involved?
I was very active in the Mandé dance program at Brown, working as a TA for the class and studying with professor Michelle Bach-Coulibaly in Mali. Through these experiences and my experience using the arts for social change with an NGO I co-founded called Hip Hop 4, I have developed a strong interest in using dance as a platform for cross-cultural learning.

Why Jordan?
Jordan is a fertile ground for intercultural education because Amman as a city is increasingly diverse because of its role as a humanitarian aid hub. I was lucky enough to meet the co-founders of Studio 8 when I was in Amman for a summer internship and was inspired by their commitment to using the performing arts as an educational tool. Studio 8 combines by interest in the performing arts and arts-focused social impact programming, so it was natural for me to return after I graduated from Brown.