Learn international dances at Westminster

Westminster College students Andreia Marcelo, Estela Naula and Nuratu Quarshie will be teaching a lesson in Afrobeats during Saturday afternoon's free international dance workshop. Marcelo and Naula are from Zambique, while Quarshie is from Ghana.
Westminster College students Andreia Marcelo, Estela Naula and Nuratu Quarshie will be teaching a lesson in Afrobeats during Saturday afternoon's free international dance workshop. Marcelo and Naula are from Zambique, while Quarshie is from Ghana.

Get ready to work up a sweat during a free international dance workshop at Westminster College.

The workshop, hosted by Westminster's International Club, is 3-6 p.m. Saturday at the Mueller Leadership Hall. It's open to the public and all ages are invited. Between dances, participants can pay to sample foods from around the world.

"We'd like to welcome everyone, even if you just want to watch," freshman Estela Naula said.

Naula and sophomores Andreia Marcelo and Nuratu Quarshie will be teaching participants about Afrobeats. The dance style marries traditional and cultural dances from countries around Africa with up-tempo modern music. The style is energetic and involes plenty of arm and leg movement. Pinning down a more precise definition is tricky - after all, it's an art, not a science.

"We can say (the dances are) easy because we grew up doing this," Naula said. "At home, when we play music, we're dancing. The energy is there in your body."

Naulu is from Zambique, as is Marcelo. Quarshie, from Ghana, said the dance style is popular in her home country as well.

Participants will learn some basic steps and how to put them together.

"The objective of the workshop is that by the time you go home, you'll know at least one new thing," Quarshie said.

In addition to the Afrobeats tutorial, participants can also learn a traditional dance from the Maldives, some hip-hop moves and the salsa.

That's not the end of the international fun, however. On Nov. 9, the club will be putting on its International Show, 7-9 p.m. in Champ Auditorium. Students will perform dances, songs, skits and spoken word poetry from all around the world - particularly African and Asian nations.

"Many people living in Fulton might not have travelled outside (the country)," Marcelo said.

"So, we're bringing the world to them," Quarshie added.

The International Show is also free and open to the public. It features free food and a photo booth.

Naula fears this might be the college's last International Show for a while. A large group of international students, many of whom are in the performing arts, are graduating this year. The three agreed the college's current administration doesn't seem to be courting international students as actively as in previous years, so the population is likely to decrease.

The three hope for a big turnout to make sure the tradition's bittersweet ending is as sweet as possible.

"Diversity is important in everyones' life," Marcelo said.