“I have two left feet!” laughed Huguette St. Hubert as she tried to follow the steps of the dance being taught at Florida Atlantic University Program Board’s “AfroBeats Dance and Dine” event.
“It’s okay!” exclaimed Daniella Dara Coby, the student dance instructor.
Program Board hosted the event to celebrate African culture with music, a dance workshop and a variety of food. Afrobeat music played through the speakers as a group of about 20-30 students started trickling into the Student Union Grand Palm Room at 6:30 p.m. The dance instruction began about 15 minutes later.
There was food representative of multiple cultures, including rice and beans, empanadas, chicken kebabs and tostones, which are squashed fried plantains. Groups of students dined at tables draped in black tablecloths with patterned fabrics crossing the middle. Program Board also handed out goodie bags filled with African candy, bracelets and a Program Board event schedule.
“Originally we were going to do different Caribbean countries, but we just centralized it all on one thing, because, honestly, we’re all from Africa in some different way,” said Thaysha Stephen, the associate director of Program Board who pitched the event.
Stephen is originally from Haiti, but is a big fan of Afrobeats, a genre of music originating from Nigeria in the 1960s that focuses on rhythmic percussion and ear-catching drums. The genre has seen a rise in popularity as of late thanks to artists like Tyla, a GRAMMY-award winning South African artist, and Burna Boy, a common-day Afrobeats artist from Nigeria.
Her interest in the genre is what inspired the event, which looked to capitalize off the popularity of the genre on social media, specifically TikTok.
“It’s really in trend right now with Tyla and Burna Boy. I feel like [the event] would really get people upbeat and just motivated to come and learn about culture,” said Stephen.
The event also had a spin wheel, which landed on different questions for participants to ask about the genre, including, “What musical instrument is most often associated with Afrobeats?” and “Which Afrobeat artist released the song ‘Ye’ in 2018?”
Daniella Dara Coby, a musical theatre major primarily serving as the Multicultural Programming director, has been dancing since she was 5 years old. She shared that her favorite music has always been hip-hop. Coby enjoys dissecting the genre and “really getting to the nitty-gritty of what parts came from where.”
“I haven’t stopped moving my feet since I picked it up,” said Coby.
Coby heard that the event needed a dance instructor through her friend Jennifer Okoro, the African Student Association president.
She began the class with a line dance requiring the dancer to work on their rhythm, with three taps of the foot on one leg and three taps on the other. The dance demands balance as jumps alternate between feet.
“I love Afrobeats music. I wanted to come out of my comfort zone a bit and learn African dance because I love the culture already, so why not explore?” said St. Hubert. “My culture, as a Haitian, we love to dance. Our main dance is called Kompa, but again, I want to learn because I don’t know how to dance. So this is the beginning of my journey when it comes to dancing.”
Although St. Hubert continued to twist her feet, Coby grabbed her hand and guided her through the steps.
Some of the first people on the dance floor were Alex Hamaide and Laelani Perez, who both work as personal trainers at FAU’s recreation center. Perez had sent Program Board’s event flyer to Hamaide, which caught their eye due to its mention of free food and dancing.
Hamaide, a first-year exercise science major, is Cuban and Dominican. Perez, a senior health promotion major, is French and Cuban. Despite not having ties to Africa or Afrobeats, they were interested in trying something new.
“I’m not good at dancing, and if someone else can teach me their own cultural dance, might as well. I’m here to learn,” said Hamaide.
JD Delcastillo is the Managing Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email him at [email protected], DM on Instagram @jd.delcastillo or on X (Twitter) @jd_delcastillo.
