Dancing into Ubuntu:

: Inquiring into Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences of the Kpanlogo Dance

Abstract

This inquiry describes the lived experiences of five Bachelor of Education students learning and teaching Kpanlogo, a West African dance. Each experience was conceptually analyzed with the Sankofa bird, depicted with its beak reaching back to retrieve a golden egg on its back. This symbol embodies the Ghanaian proverb, to go back, physically or spiritually, to retrieve what was once lost or forgotten. Such a framework orients us to the philosophy of Ubuntu, which posits that humanness is found and cultivated within community. What this inquiry reveals is that while it was awkward for some, it was possible for others to dance toward Ubuntu. In sharing these experiences, an example is provided for how we might introduce culturally relevant curriculum in teacher education programs. This inquiry thus describes what it was like to connect a learning experience, in this case the Kpanlogo dance, to the community in which it is situated.