In spring 2012, Ohio State Department of Dance Professor David Covey and alumna Lynn Dally embarked on an adventure that would take them all the way to Africa where they would travel through three countries to teach contemporary American dance abroad.

Through DanceMotion USA, a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State, Covey, Dally, and members of Jazz Tap Ensemble traveled nonstop to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Republic of Congo, bringing with them 500 tap shoes donated by DanceMotion USA.

The purpose of this trip was to share the work of Jazz Tap Ensemble, a Los Angeles-based dance company hailed as leaders in the renaissance of tap directed by Dally, and to serve as a gateway for cultural engagement and exchange. The group arrived in Africa ready to begin master classes, demonstrations, and workshops with in-country artists. Special efforts were made to include not only national dance companies based in the host countries, but also to include disadvantaged and underserved youth.

“Some of the people we worked with may have walked miles to get to practice but it didn’t matter, they were there every day,” said Covey, who has been collaborating with Jazz Tap Ensemble since 1997.

Despite none of the African dancers knowing how to tap, everyone began dancing immediately without skipping a beat. “They put on the shoes and it was like they had been tapping their whole lives,” Covey said. “It was unbelievable.”

“Dance really is a universal language. We communicated with our feet,” Covey said. “The people were so gracious to learn from us and eager to share their culture. Despite heartbreaking poverty and other hardships, dance gives them purpose and a strong sense of self-respect. It was inspiring to see people put on a simple pair of shoes and feel empowered.”

Although the trip was exhausting, it is one Covey will never forget. In fact, he is slated to lead a production and lighting workshop in Africa sometime in the next year.

By Marissa Pacheco, editorial intern at ASC Communications