Carnival: from Colombia to West Plains, Missouri

Abstract

In October, St. Louis artist Carmen Dence brought the famous Latin carnival of her hometown, Barranquilla, Colombia, to Glenwood R-VIII Elementary School, just a few miles outside West Plains in southern Missouri. Dence was selected for the residency because of her experience as an artist and educator. She is a Colombian folkloric dancer and choreographer, is co-director of the St. Louis based Grupo Atlántico, and a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program master artist. She is also a Research Associate Professor in Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. As a member of the Missouri Folk Arts Program's pilot school-residency project, Dence spent three days at Glenwood Elementary School, working with students in the fifth through eighth grades. With help from drummer Arthur Moore and dancer Donald Kelly, she taught the students about Colombian dance and culture.