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https://dancersgroup.org/2019/10/speak-whats-the-big-deal-with-cultural-appropriation-and-whats-the-path-forward/

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Photo by Rachel Duff Photography
Cultural appropriation is considered to be the taking of one or more aspects of a culture other than one's own and using it for personal gain (financial or otherwise). Cultural appropriation has roots in colonization, racism, and capitalism.

The reason why cultural appropriation is important is that privileged and less privileged cultures are not on an even playing field. Marginalized peoples from less privileged cultures have less power, less media voice and visibility, less buying power, greater difficulties in moving up the socio-economic ladder, and are historically robbed of credit for their artistic innovations. By virtue of having the financial and political resources to travel or take classes, privileged cultures are at a significant advantage over millions who, for financial, political, societal, or cultural reasons, cannot afford to partake in these learning opportunities.

If you're from a privileged culture or a high income country such as the United States, Canada, or many European nations and have profited from the art and culture of less privileged cultures or low-middle income countries (such as countries and cultures in South America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, or the Middle East [the term "Middle East" has Euro-centric origins; however, I will use it here given that it is the commonly used term to refer to this region]), you may have had a hand in cultural appropriation. From Madonna and Beyoncé, to Katy Perry and Coldplay, to Marc Jacobs and Gucci, to Coachella and Burning Man, and to the chef Rick Bayless there are many examples of the pervasive nature of cultural appropriation.

Perhaps you teach belly dancing, Persian dances, salsa, or any other exercise or art forms from less privileged countries and someone has called you out for cultural appropriation. You may have felt attacked, bullied, and defensive. Maybe you've thought about all the work you've done to get to where you are, remembered your bills, shrugged your shoulders, and moved on. However, maybe there's still a part of you wanting to understand what the big deal is and consider alternative ways to move forward with a clearer conscience. I hope to provide some clarity on why cultural appropriation is a big deal and offer some ways to move forward. I don't intend to shame anyone about their life choices, but I hope to bring awareness to this issue, open a dialogue, and share my perspectives.

As a dancer born and raised in Iran, I believe that it's the years of surviving the Iran-Iraq war, secretive dance classes, performances in dust-filled basements, using my shadow to "perfect" my dance moves during air raids, teaching myself Western dance forms using scratched up VHS videos, fear of being caught dancing, shamed by being compared to a sex worker, being harassed and bullied by self-loathing teachers who mindlessly perpetuated the cycle of hate, shame, and guilt, and teachers who ruthlessly punished and ridiculed students for expressing an interest in the arts by enforcing "religious" censorship codes of an Islamic dictatorship for fear of being prosecuted themselves that enriches the beauty and pain of dances from my culture.

I see friends who have taken years of ballet and modern dance classes since a young age, attending dance performances, and expressing themselves artistically in public. I compare that to my experiences and I envy the fact that we didn't have a level playing field. That, despite my mom's best efforts, my growth was impeded due to a lack of access, knowledge, and finances.

This is by no means a defeatist message of self-pity. I just want you, the reader, to know that cultural appropriation without these shared cultural experiences may be hurtful to those who have lived the pain, have overcome many obstacles, and are trying to express it through their art. There are a multitude of experiences from many cultures, and I'm only sharing my own. However, it is all of these experiences that inform my embodied experiences and impacts my art. And without these experiences, one may go through the movements without an anchor in the powerful reality of life in Tehran, Cairo, or Cuba.

I'd like to emphasize that cultural exchange and learning about other cultures are not the activities under scrutiny here. Sharing cultural knowledge, seeking to understand and learn about another culture, and connecting with others cross-culturally is a beautiful thing and much needed in the world. It helps us learn about others and ourselves, and it unites us as human beings. Rather, the focus of this piece is the personal gain (financial or otherwise) from others' cultural knowledge and practices.

To be clear, acknowledging, calling attention to, and working to minimize the impact of cultural appropriation is not about creating "gated cultures" to help promote social justice, but it's about helping to break down barriers so that communities and cultures can promote their own art, speak for themselves, and profit from their work. I believe that it would be silly and pointless for me or anyone to say that White Americans or Europeans shouldn't belly dance or participate in other art forms with roots in less privileged countries/cultures. However, I would like to invite you to consider a different approach to this cultural borrowing.

I believe that the first and most difficult step to addressing cultural appropriation is to acknowledge your privilege and the role you may have played in appropriating someone else's culture. I realize that this is challenging because you have to recognize your privilege and come to terms with the fact that you're likely more privileged than many others who did not have the opportunity to travel, take classes, explore their artistic side, and gain financial opportunities for their art.

But what can you do about it beyond humility?

A central question to consider is how you can reciprocate to the culture from which it came. I would like to emphasize that these restitutions do not necessarily have to be monetary.

Some examples of these reciprocations can be:

attending classes taught by people from that culture and supporting their growth

attending screenings of movies, cultural celebrations, concerts, art galleries, book signings, etc. of artists from that culture

involving people from that culture in your art work, asking them for feedback on your art work, and interviewing them on your podcasts and blogs

taking classes to learn the language and music of that culture

researching, writing, audio/video-recording, and documenting scholarly work on that culture (this does not mean speaking for the marginalized culture, but objectively documenting your experiences)

sponsoring other artists or movement experts from that country or culture by assisting them in traveling to your country, allowing them to stay in your home, inviting them to teach with you, and/or inviting them to create art with you

traveling to that country and providing free classes on your culture or other types of classes (e.g., free English language classes, ballet classes, etc.)

organizing educational tours to that country with local tour guides

These exchanges are sure to enhance your understanding of that culture, provide you with a deeper empathic response for the people of that culture, and give you more tools with which you can educate others.

There are many more examples of good-will gestures of restitutions to begin a dialogue of healing and making our world more equitable.
This article appeared in the October 2019 issue of In Dance.
Parya is a graduate student in the MFA in Dance: Creative Practice program at Saint Mary's College of California. She is also Associate Professor of Medicine at a top ranking Bay Area university where she conducts clinical and behavioral HIV research. At the age of 7, Parya began studying Persian classical and folk dances in Iran and later trained in New York Style Salsa and belly dancing. She is currently a dance instructor at the Salimpour School of Dance and a member of the Suhaila Dance Company.

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SPEAK: What's the Big Deal with Cultural Appropriation, and What's the Path Forward?

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Photo by Rachel Duff Photography Cultural appropriation is considered to be the taking of one or more aspects of a culture other than one's own and using it for personal gain (financial or otherwise). Cultural appropriation has roots in colonization, racism, and capitalism. The reason why cultural

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https://medium.com/gbc-college-english-lemonade/appropriation-or-inspiration-6ebb7b363506

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The dance industry is known to borrow from other cultures and to be inspired by other cultures.

two people of color doing African dance pose in tribal wear

The Black culture has influenced many dance styles known today. The culture has been misinterpreted and appropriated by dancers and choreographers in so many ways in this millennia. Appropriation is the action of taking something for one owns use, typically without one's permission. It occurs when people of one culture are either taking/borrowing the ideas of different dance moves and fashion styles and misusing it. Appropriation happens to every culture, but mainly Black culture, styles like The Charleston, swing dance, the Twist, the Running Man, the Electric Slide, most everyone understands the basic steps, though dancers tend to add their own personal flair.

. They are now considered social dances, but they all originated from the Black communities before becoming pop culture sensations. The Black culture is constantly being appropriated in the dance community. Terms and moves are being misused as well as the fashion style itself. Many genres that are known today were created by the black culture but are not known because many people claim the style for themselves and do not credit the real creators of the dance.

Black culture is being appropriated in the dance industry in many ways, shapes and forms. In an article that was being read it says "you can't want the good without the bad. If you want to enjoy our culture and our lifestyle, bond with us, dance with us, have fun with us, twerk with us, rap with us, then you should also want to know what affects us, what is bothering us, what we feel is unfair to us. You shouldn't not want to know that" ( Toth, L. (n.d.). Praising twerk: Why aren't we all shaking our butt? - Lucille Toth, 2017. Toth (2018) brings up Nicki Minaj in her essay and Nicki states that a lot of people in this century want to be black or have the black culture in them or use things from the black culture but no one ever wants to deal with the bad things that come with the culture as well. Many people think that when they hear cultural appropriation, they automatically assume that non coloured or non ethnic people are stealing or misrepresenting the culture, but its not just them or ethnicities do it as well. For example In a hip hop documentary of how hip was created, who it was created by, and when it was created they had some people thinking that only black people created all of hip hop. In reality yes it was mostly the blacks, but many Hispanic people were apart of its upbringing as well. Then when it became famous and popular above ground others started to claim it and "bite" (hip hop dance term for steal or copy) the style.

For instance, Asherie begins to say that "you can't be about these forms that come from the African diaspora and the trauma of slavery and participate in the fight for equality" Schaefer, B. (2019, October 11). At What Point Does Appreciation Become Appropriation? Many dancers and choreographers that at not apart of the black community treat black culture like an aesthetic. Everyone looks at only the good stuff and think it would be aesthetically pleasing to have or do something black culture does. This happens in a lot of other cultures but mainly black culture, and every time things like this are brought to light the black community gets bashed for it. The black community not only in dance but in other things as well need to be treated just like everybody else. We should not be looked at as objects that you can just take and use and then put back and ignore whenever you fell like it.

The black dance community is looked at as an aesthetic and not a culture.

Many people in the industry today would rather take only the good from black culture, but if you are going to support the good you must be able to fight back for the bad. For the bad representation black people get for equality.

Dancers/ choreographers can have fun, enjoy, and have freedom with dance but they need to remember the importance of the dance as well. In an article it mentions that "Performers could make a little more effort to ensure they are connecting with and representing a dance according to its true traditions and cultural heritage" as cited by (The Conversation, 2017). The conversation (2019) gives dancers advise on how to borrow dance from another culture and still be connecting to the culture's roots at the same time, so that way the dance is not being appropriated, to illustrate "Justin Bieber launched a new video for his single "sorry".

In the video, an all-women group of dancers perform a Jamaican- style dance called dancehall. Parris Goebel,

Mixed race women posing by window in blue shirt and white fur coat

the choreographer of the video, was later accused of cultural appropriation since all the dancers were light-skinned and from New Zealand" Toth, L. (n.d.). Praising twerk: Why aren't we all shaking our butt? - Lucille Toth, 2017.

This shows that people just take other cultures and use it in dance without giving credits to the original owners of the art form. Many people who speak about appropriation with the black community and dance they feel the right way is to mention the original creators of the dance and appreciate them for what they gave to us millennial dancers/choreographers .Most feel that if you are willing to teach another culture to people who do not really understand it or know a lot of the culture itself it is now the choreographers job to do a lot of research the cultures history and the meaning behind each movement and it is the choreographers job to inform their dancers about the history, so the dancers at least have a little bit of insight into what dance they are doing, why they are doing it and what the true meaning of the dance is. With the knowledge of the history behind the style of dance they are performing they will be able to perform it better and actually tell a story with a true meaning behind it. In the 21st century it is highly requested that if you as a dancer/choreographer is using another cultures art form you should inform your audience or make it known that your piece pays a tribute to the culture you are performing.

Dancers and choreographers should be more aware of how they interpret dances and should always give credit and acknowledge the owners and creators of the style. The black culture is constantly being appropriated in this era, people notice it but do nothing about it. Everyone only wants a piece of the good. Everyone should want the good and want to be able to help with the bad as well. Now days it is not something you can ignore anymore because it is constantly being brought up by the community itself and by others who do take a stand and want equality and recognition for the culture.

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The dance industry is known to borrow from other cultures and to be inspired by other cultures. The Black culture has influenced many dance styles known today. The culture has been misinterpreted and appropriated by dancers and choreographers in so many ways in this millennia.

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https://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-cultural-appropriation

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Cultural appropriation happens when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way.

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https://medium.com/@cyandanjou/out-of-line-on-hip-hop-and-cultural-appropriation-1c060e6801e9

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In 2015, UCLA fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon and sorority Alpha Phi hosted a Kanye West-themed party inspiring its majority-white student population in attendance to dote extra baggy clothing, artificially plumped lips, and faces blackened by charcoal as a costume. On the surface level, these students are playing off of common stereotypes of black people as they are portrayed in Hip Hop music and culture. However, in the context of hip hop songs, these aspects- the clothing, the hairstyles, the language used- are all genuine expressions of black culture, which was meant to honor the struggles and narratives of the historically underrepresented and overshadowed people authentically.

Not only did these students pick and choose a variety of often oppressive stereotypes to exploit for their own entertainment, in turn, they further repressed the vitality and cultural significance of hip hop music.

The UCLA party was not an isolated occurrence. Valued minority cultural symbols and expressions, often reduced to 'fun' activities by those who have never experienced the oppression and hurt, have attempted to be reclaimed through these cultural forms. Hip Hop music often uses explicit language, such as the n-word, which has historically been used by slave owners to antagonize and dehumanize black people, but has been reclaimed by black people as an acceptable term to refer to each other. Yet, at events such as the Sigma Phi and Alpha Phi party, those belonging to the group who have historically been and still are the oppressors, the white-majority still sing the term out proudly when it comes on veiled by a catchy tune in a rap song [1].

Black culture and history can easily be traced in observing the origins and growth of the Hip Hop genre, which is notoriously honest, expressive, and seeped in important history. Hip Hop music's roots in Afro-Caribbean music has added layers of historical and cultural depth which have contributed to the genre's popularity and social significance in American Black culture.

In Prophets of the Hood, Imani Perry, a professor of African-American studies at Princeton University, outlines the three primary influences on Hip-Hop music, with each being primarily pulled from Jamaican tradition. The influences are Jamaican deejaying or "toasting," combining instrumental music with rhythmic speech; the (so-called) "outlaw" language, which differentiates mainstream American vernacular with that of Hip Hop music; and the innovative styles that fuels the art and entices its creators to cultivate ever-more captivating and catchy tunes to which to dance with any means possible. This mindset of continuously working to create the next best thing using whatever, often limited, resources available has become intrinsic in black culture.

However, Bakari Kitwana, an activist and political analyst, argues that separating hip hop and black culture too much from the mainstream by using what Perry calls "outlaw" language is a poor and inaccurate general reflection on black culture, which consists of style of dress, attitude, language, dancing, and where Hip Hop is a subcategory. By defining a set of traits as "black," a subconscious barrier is created between what is considered "acceptable" in society. This automatically creates an association that things which are considered black or a part of black culture are "unacceptable" or an inappropriate and invalid contribution to the greater public.

This mindset is heavily crafted by white colonization as an artificial racial hierarchy and had paved the way for dangerous stereotypes about African-American people to be formed. Yet, whether or not the language used in the music acts as a barrier, Hip Hop is so attractive because it has allowed Afro-American people the agency to recreate narratives to reclaim their individuality and position in American society in a unique and compelling way.

However, by communities observing from the outside, this may not be the case. Instead of viewing the genre for its artistic and cultural significance, many, often-white, consumers are drawn to imitating the imagery they experience through the music because of its "outlaw" notion. Instead of digging into the culture and educating themselves on the importance and evolution of the music, they participate in the culture simply because of its rather problematic association with being anti-culture.

This is a serious repercussion of the genre's popularity which has left these newly uprooted and underrepresented cultures susceptible to appropriation motivated by the desire to be viewed as "edgy"[2]. Without an educated understanding of and respect towards another person's culture beyond the superficial, cultural appropriation reduces the depth and hardships of minority cultures to simply aesthetic trends, reversing the original intent of authenticity of Hip Hop music.

Cultural appropriation is the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the practices, customs, or aesthetics of one social or ethnic group by members of another, typically dominant, community or society. When combined, the words imply an inherent immorality in the action of cultural appropriation because of the imbalanced power dynamic between the cultural parties involved.

What is Cultural Appropriation?

In James O. Young's journal article for The American Society of Aesthetics, Young breaks down cultural appropriation into three main subgroups by which cultural appropriation can be recognized: subject appropriation, content appropriation, and object appropriation.

In Young's words, "subject appropriation occurs when an outsider represents members or aspects of another culture..., when content appropriation occurs, an artist uses the cultural products of another culture in the production of his or her own art..., [and] object appropriation occurs when the possession of a tangible object is transferred from members of the culture that produced it to the possession of outsiders."

Although art in most cases involves a degree of appropriation, it is important to examine both context and intention when evaluating cases of cultural appropriation.

An example of the potentially blurred line between object appropriation and musical appreciation can be witnessed through Korean pop groups. Especially in the Korean entertainment industry, is extremely in tune focus on what is considered popular in America and adapt that to the stars and icons under their own jurisdiction. The culture's appreciation of Western culture is heavily commercialized to capitalized on its residents desire to be on trend with the American pop culture. Yet, the K-Pop groups' aesthetic hair and fashion redesign to resemble typical black hair, with is slick edges, braids, cornrows, afros, and dreads, wearing their clothes baggy, donning gold chains, ski masks, and bandanas is an example of object appropriation. The intention, however, is not to embody the black culture, but rather to adopt what is being experienced as popular in Western society.

In the example of the UCLA event, outsiders to black culture engaged in subject and content appropriation when choosing to use Hip Hop as their theme and to further perpetuate harmful stereotypes by altering their appearance to match that which is often portrayed in media.

Yet, not all forms of appropriation are as severe as others. If an exchange of art happens between an outsider and a person native to the culture with mutual respect and acknowledgement, such as a tourist visiting a new country and purchasing an art piece to take back home, then the exchange is positive albeit technically falling under the realm of object appropriation.
The word "appropriation" itself does not inherently harbor a negative connotation. However, when there is a lack of consent and an unbalanced power dynamic, this is when the issue escalates, which is implied when the term refers to one's culture.
In the previous case, the native artist is voluntary in their participation of the exchange and thus has equal standing and power to the person who is coming from outside, however, this is not always the case.

Coachella Music and Arts Festival is an annual festival held in the Indio Desert of California and is known for its attendees' fashion and, unfortunately, a prime example of an imbalanced cultural exchange from festival-goers at the expense of many native cultures for the sake of looking "eclectic" for a weekend. Similar to the notion of Orientalism when observing Arabic cultures from a Western perspective, people who attend Coachella are drawn to other cultures' symbols when putting together an outfit because they have deemed it alluring and exotic. This manifests into wearing traditional Native American headdresses, earned and worn by chiefs in sacred ceremonies and rituals, being worn by festival-goes privileged enough to purchase a ticket and bought as part of a costume. Not only does this reflect ignorance of the casual wearer's part, the action also demeans an incredibly complex culture by reducing it to a temporary pop-culture trend.

The act of appropriation becomes more severe when, such as in a situation like this, there is an imbalance of privilege and representation. Here, not only is group of people whose stories have historically been buried are being further disregarded in the occurrence of this act, but their customs have been commodified and turned into profit and disingenuous expression inspired by the allure of exoticism.

Why is Black Culture so Attractive for Appropriation?

The reason is similar to the draws of orientalism as discussed by John McLeod in his book Beginning Postcolonialism. It is important to establish once again that colonialism and the imbalance between the colonizers and colonized is a huge proponent of why these beliefs exist today.

They were established as a way to create a division between sets of people with, as described by McLeod only "allegedly dissimilar cultures." Three of the main characteristics of Orientalism which also apply to how black culture has been viewed from an American perspective are that it is a Western fantasy, it is "strange," and constructs binary oppositions. McLeod explains that "the Orient is frequently described in negative terms that serve to buttress a sense of the West's superiority and strength." The binary which represents the "otherness" of outside cultures that is created is an unequal one of good vs. bad- mirroring West vs. "other" respectively.

The images which portray "the Orient" are highly curated to perpetuate this dichotomy, despite being fantastical fractions of the full culture. Yet, members of the West are attracted to the mysterious "strangeness" of this contrived concept of a culture of a culture and seek to learn more about it through embodiment.

This same ideology can be applied to how hip hop has been regarded in modern American culture: "White teenage rap fans are listening in on black culture, fascinated by its differences, drawn in by mainstream social constructions of black culture as a forbidden narrative, as a symbol of rebellion." But why is it that it is viewed as a symbol of rebellion? Albeit being an honest representation of the black American experience, for young white Americans, as described by McLeod, this alternative hip hop culture goes against the norm of what is considered acceptable in society. The severity of cultural appropriation lies in the double standard that for white teenagers rap is a persona they can adopt in order to go against the grain to be considered cool, but when a black teenager raps they are feeding into the stereotype of an impermissible contribution to American society.

It would be impossible to address the issues with cultural appropriation in music without acknowledging the advances it has in many cases allowed the entertainment industry. It is important to observe the societal environment which allows for white artists to gain more recognition for their work than objectively equal-quality black-produced music.

Coming for a white mouthpiece, the black music medium became greatly more palatable to American general audiences. In many cases, this can be attributed to a twisted sense of validation for the genre once it has been "approved" by someone who looks like them. The artists' use of the genre is acceptable when regarding it as an exchange of creative inspiration, however, the deep-seeded and subconscious prejudice that America still experiences which has afforded these white artists their popularity is not.

Eminem is a common conversation piece when discussing hip hop and appropriation and serves as a positive example of a non-black artist who part-takes in rap without characterizing or stereotyping other peer artists in the genre. One key element of hip hop is that the narratives featured in the songs are often based upon true stories from the artist's life or cultural experiences.

In Eminem's case, he was raised in the notoriously rough side of the 8 Mile district of Detroit, a feat which he often references in his songs. Not only are his narratives often inspired by his own personal life stories, he also further acknowledges his position as a white rapper. In the 2002 track "Without Me" from The Eminem Show album, he satirically references his privilege: "Though I'm not the first king of controversy / I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley / To do black music so selfishly / And use it to get myself wealthy / Hey, there's a concept that works." He acknowledges that he, like Elvis Presley, have benefited greatly in America, using his status as a white citizen to serve as a familiar face for general audiences listening to traditionally black music.

The concept "works" because the society allows it to be so. Although it has been the object of a large amount of controversy from the Black community who feel that equally talented Afro-American artists have been overshadowed without being recognized nearly to the same degree as Eminem,-which is the "selfish[ness]" he is referencing-it is also important to note that the quality and cultural respect (an instance of such displayed through his lack of use of the n-word in all of his original music [3]) exhibited through his music has earned him a place above the "twenty million other white rappers" he references later in the song which who have not produced to his same standard.

There are plenty of more harmful and unproductive versions of cultural appropriation when it comes to hip hop music. One perfect embodiment of subject and content appropriation is Vanilla Ice, a popular white hip hop artist in the 90s. In his music, he represented a gross characterization of hip hop music and its artists, yet, right as the genre was just beginning to gain visibility, his song was the first to top the charts.

One of his big hits was Ice Ice Baby, a highly commercialized song which included a heavily pop-inspired tone accompanied by a colorful music video featuring graffiti and a poorly integrated blue-screen overlay of his clean-cut persona. The lyrics incorporated oversimplified rap themes, such as ogling at girls on the sidewalk from his vintage convertible car, driving into the next neighborhood and hearing gunshots, and evading the police in a drag race, all the while checking out the catchy hook will "solve it."

The events all span the length of one verse of his rap, as if he is trying to cram as many hip hop stereotypes as he can within the ideal industry radio song time. Furthermore, when observing his later career, the song The Wrath even further perpetuates subject appropriation through his insensitive embodiment of black culture. He changes his image by sagging his pants so his underwear was exposed, alters his hair into the blonde version of dreads, and even changes the rhythm in which he raps his lyrics to match that of the other popular black artists performing at the time.

Beyond the aesthetics of the music he performed, Vanilla Ice also altered the way he spoke to embody African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), for which members of the black community have often been labeled as 'ghetto,' lesser-than, or uneducated for using. Instead of black culture being regarded and respected for the vibrant history it encompasses, it seems to be fetishized by those who are not a part of it.

Hip hop is a musical genre deeply rooted in black culture which is used as an authentic outlet for artists to share their own personal experiences and narratives with their audiences. It is not a genre to use as a medium to mimic others' cultures in exchange for a lack of one's own. However, hip hop has been susceptible to cultural appropriation which has led to black people being reduced to stereotypical characterizations of their heritage.

From Kanye West-themed parties at UCLA to Instagram blackfishing, it is clear that cultural appropriation is a large and controversial driver of our society socially. Cultural appropriation is an unbalanced exchange of content, subjects, or objects by members of communities of power from usually oppressed or misrepresented cultures. Those orchestrating the appropriation often have never experienced the severity of the damages and stereotypes they are enforcing through their actions and will likely be unable to experience the pain of those whose culture is being taken, who have no way of being able to preserve to their cultural symbols without being seen as going against the grain of creative expression and innovation.

[1] See a scene in the 2018 Boots Riley movie, Sorry to Bother You, in which the main character, Cassius Green, is the only black person in the room and is pushed to perform a rap (as they insist he must know how to, despite his objections). He is unable to come up with a solid freestyle, but as soon as he drops the n-word in a rhythm, the majority-white crowd immediately chimes in.

[2] Edgy is a colloquial term used to describe someone who is trying too hard to be cool or ahead of the norm.

[3] The n-word was used as a derogatory term originally used by slave owners and white people to establish a misbalance of power through their words. Now, in the modern age, the word has dropped the hard -er and is used within the black community as a nickname like 'dude' or 'man.' The rights to use the word are specifically for the black people but other members of other races have wrongfully adapted it into their own language and use it in everyday use, especially in rap contexts, seemingly forgetting the severe history behind it, and using hip hop music as an excuse to continue to use the derogatory term.

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Out of Line: On Hip Hop and Cultural Appropriation

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In 2015, UCLA fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon and sorority Alpha Phi hosted a Kanye West-themed party inspiring its majority-white student population in attendance to dote extra baggy clothing, artificially plumped lips, and faces blackened by charcoal as a costume.

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https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cultural-appropriation-5070458

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Cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression and doesn't respect their original meaning or give credit to their source. It also includes the unauthorized use of parts of their culture (their dress, dance, etc.) without permission.

In this way, cultural appropriation is a layered and nuanced phenomenon that many people may have trouble understanding and may not realize when they are doing it themselves.

It can be natural to merge and blend cultures as people from different backgrounds come together and interact. In fact, many wonderful inventions and creations have been born from the merging of such cultures (such as country music).

However, the line is drawn when a dominant cultural group makes use of elements of a non-dominant group in a way that the non-dominant group views as exploitative.

Elements of Cultural Appropriation

Taking a step backward, how do we define cultural appropriation? It helps to consider what is meant by each of the terms in the phrase, as well as some related terms that are important to understand.

Culture refers to anything associated with a group of people based on their ethnicity, religion, geography, or social environment. This might include beliefs, traditions, language, objects, ideas, behaviors, customs, values, or institutions. It's not uncommon for culture to be thought of as belonging to particular ethnic groups.

Appropriation

Appropriation refers to taking something that doesn't belong to you or your culture. In the case of cultural appropriation, it is an exchange that happens when a dominant group takes or "borrows" something from a minority group that has historically been exploited or oppressed.

In this sense, appropriation involves a lack of understanding of or appreciation for the historical context that influences what is being taken. Taking a sacred object from a historically marginalized culture and producing it as part of a Halloween costume is one example.

Cultural Denigration

Cultural denigration is when someone adopts an element of a culture with the sole purpose of humiliating or putting down people of that culture. The most obvious example of this is blackface, which originated as a way to denigrate and dehumanize Black people by perpetuating negative stereotypes.

Cultural Appreciation & Respect

Cultural appreciation, on the other hand, is the respectful borrowing of elements from another culture with an interest in sharing ideas and diversifying oneself. Examples would include learning martial arts from an instructor with an understanding of the practice from a cultural perspective or eating Indian food at an authentic Indian restaurant.

When done correctly, cultural appreciation can result in deeper understanding and respect across cultures as well as creative hybrids that blend cultures together.

Types of Cultural Appropropriation

There are four main types of cultural appropriation:

Exchange: This form is defined as a reciprocal exchange between two cultures that are approximately equal in terms of power and dominance.

Dominance: This type involves a dominant culture taking elements of a subordinate culture that has had a dominant culture forced upon it.

Exploitation: This type is defined as taking cultural elements of a subordinate culture without compensation, permission, or reciprocity.

Transculturation: This form involves taking and combining elements of multiple cultures, making it difficult to identify and credit the original source.

Context of Cultural Appropriation

Learning about the context of cultural appropriation is important for understanding why it is a problem. While some might not think twice about adopting a style from another culture, for example, the group with which the style originated may have historical experiences that make the person's actions insensitive to the group's past and current experience.

For example, consider a White American wearing their hair in cornrows. While Black Americans have historically experienced discrimination because of protective hairstyles like cornrows, White Americans, as part of the dominant group in the U.S., can often "get away" with appropriating that same hairstyle and making it "trendy," all the while not understanding or acknowledging the experiences that contributed to its significance in Black culture in the first place.

Examples of Cultural Appropriation

When considering examples of cultural appropriation, it's helpful to look at the types of items that can be a target. They include:

In the United States, the groups that are most commonly targeted in terms of cultural appropriation include Black Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic and Latinx Americans, and Native Americans.

The following are some real-world examples of cultural appropriation to consider.

In the 1950s, White musicians "invented" rock and roll; however, the musical style was appropriated from Black musicians who never received credit. In fact, music executives at the time chose to promote White performers over Black performers, reinforcing the idea that cultural appropriation involves a negative impact on a non-dominant group.

Sweat Lodge

In 2011, motivational entrepreneur James Arthur Ray was convicted of three counts of negligent homicide after the death of three participants in his pseudo sweat lodge. This is an extreme example of the cultural appropriation and misrepresentation of Native American traditions.

Do you remember the "voguing" craze made popular by Madonna back in the 1990s? Voguing as a dance actually had its roots in the gay clubs of New York City and was pioneered by Black members of the LGBTQ+ community. Madonna defends her right to artistic expression, but the question remains-how many people still mistakenly think she invented voguing?

Team Mascots

There is a history of major sports teams in the United States and Canada being involved in the cultural appropriation of Indigenous cultures through their names and mascots. Past and present examples include the Chicago Blackhawks, Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins, and Edmonton Eskimos. (The Redskins and Eskimos have since undergone name changes.)

How to Know If Something Is Cultural Appropriation

If you are unsure how to decide if something is cultural appropriation, here are some questions to ask yourself:

What is your goal with what you are doing?

Are you following a trend or exploring the history of a culture?

Are you deliberately trying to insult someone's culture or are you being respectful?

Are you purchasing something (e.g., artwork) that is a reproduction of a culture or an original?

How would people from the culture you are borrowing from feel about what you are doing?

Are there any stereotypes involved in what you are doing?

Are you using a sacred item (e.g., headdress) in a flippant or fun way?

Are you borrowing something from an ancient culture and pretending that it is new?

Are you crediting the source or inspiration of what you are doing?

If a person of the original culture were to do what you are doing, would they be viewed as "cool" or could they possibly face discrimination?

Are you wearing a costume (e.g., Geisha girl, tribal wear) that represents a culture?

Are you ignoring the cultural significance of something in favor of following a trend?

Explore these questions and always aim to show sensitivity when adopting elements from another culture. If you do realize that something you have done is wrong, accept it as a mistake and then work to change it and apologize for it.

How to Avoid Cultural Appropriation

You can avoid cultural appropriation by taking a few steps, such as these:

Ask yourself the list of questions above to begin to explore the underlying motivation for what you are doing.

Give credit or recognize the origin of items that you borrow or promote from other cultures rather than claiming them as your original ideas.

Take the time to learn about and truly appreciate a culture before you borrow or adopt elements of it. Learn from those who are members of the culture, visit venues they run (such as restaurants) and attend authentic events (such as going to a real luau).

Support small businesses run by members of the culture rather than buying mass-produced items from big box stores that are made to represent a culture.

A Word From Verywell

Cultural appropriation is the social equivalent of plagiarism with an added dose of denigration. It's something to be avoided at all costs, and something to educate yourself about.

In addition to watching your own actions, it's important to be mindful of the actions of corporations and be choosy about how you spend your dollars as that is another way of supporting members of the non-dominant culture. Do what you can when you can as you learn to do better.

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Cultural appropriation involves people adopting elements of a minority culture. Learn how such appropriation can be disrespectful and exploitive and how to avoid it.

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https://greenheart.org/blog/greenheart-international/cultural-appreciation-vs-cultural-appropriation-why-it-matters/

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Cultural exchange and appreciation are the core values of Greenheart Club. Learning to understand a culture that is different than your own is so important in becoming a global citizen and leader. Through our participants, we've heard so many wonderful stories of people of different backgrounds coming together to exchange ideas through service.

It is important to understand, however, that there is a difference between appreciation and appropriation. Appreciation is when someone seeks to understand and learn about another culture in an effort to broaden their perspective and connect with others cross-culturally. Appropriation on the other hand, is simply taking one aspect of a culture that is not your own and using it for your own personal interest. Appropriation could mean of purchasing a piece of jewelry or clothing that may have important cultural significance to that culture, but simply using it as a fashion statement. It could be taking a photo of a ritual ceremony simply for the sake of getting as many likes on Facebook as possible. Regardless, taking a part of another culture without understanding what it truly means can be harmful not only to those whose culture you are using but also to those with whom you share it.

So, how can you explore and take part in a culture without exploiting it for your own use? Here are a few great ways!

Still unsure? Use the infographic below to check yourself and make sure that you are respecting and appreciating other cultures in an appropriate way!

At Greenheart Club, our participants are actively engaged in mutual exchange and cultural appreciation. What are some ways that you show your appreciation of other cultures?

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Cultural Appreciation vs. Cultural Appropriation: Why it Matters

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By Kelsey Holmes, Greenheart Club Program Assistant Cultural exchange and appreciation are the core values of Greenheart Club. Learning to understand a culture that is different than your own is ...

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https://cumbedance.org/cumbe-news/cultural-appropriation-conversation

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In May, we posted this video of Morgan Bullock artfully performing Irish Dancing for the #savagechallenge. Her style and work went viral, sparking excitement, conversation and controversy. Some accused her of cultural appropriation.

Check out this article from the Washington Post describing the fallout from Morgan Bullock being a boss and executing Irish Dance like she was born doing it.

So we ask, is this cultural appropriation? Is it cultural appropriation when non-African people dance or perform African dance or music? Tell us your thoughts!

Check out some comments from our community:

"Well, that's a good question. but truth be told, i wouldn't be able to breathe without African dance in my life. i know it is not mine. i know my whiteness well, even though many times it is cause for shame in my life... and i am forever grateful to my African friends for sharing their rich, loving culture with me." - "It is not cultural appropriation for a Black woman to do Irish dancing. Was it cultural appropriation when the Dance Theater of Harlem did Ballet? Of course we put our own stamp on it and make it our own. There are videos of white people doing contemporary African Dance, Asian people rocking Hip Hop dance and the list goes on. The important thing is to acknowledge and honor the people and culture where the dance comes from." - "Hi Cumbe Team,

I think this question of appropriation in African dance is a super important one. As a white dancer who (similar to Morgan Bullock) feels the pull to this style of movement that is outside of their heritage I constantly am asking myself 'should I be here? Would any of the black dancers prefer that I wasn't here? Should I remove myself from this out of respect?'. I do believe that as long as there is respect for the culture and the origins and direct naming and understanding of the history that it can stay outside of the bounds of appropriation and within celebration and honoring and keeping alive these arts.
I think it would be really interesting for Cumbe to put together a 'how to dance from the African diaspora without appropriating guide' for white folks and other POC, to bring this conversation into every classroom. I personally would love to know best practices (should we not wear certain things, should we stand in the back, should we do extra cultural study, etc.) Thank you for having this conversation. I'm happy to discuss more if it is valuable." - With gratitude for Cumbe, Angela
"Dear Cumbe,

Regarding cultural appropriation, I don't see anything wrong with a Black dancer doing Irish dance. Dance is an art. Myself a white person, I tried Afro and Latin, is that a cultural appropriation? As long as done respectfully and with aim to learn and share, why should any of it be a problem? I think it is fun to share all our respective cultures. Furthermore, if a particular Afro dance style combines elements from West Africa while being South African, is that an appropriation from a different region? Where do we draw the lines?

When I dress up in salwar kameez for an Indian function/party, or make a proper Indian-style chai for my friends from that area, they don't see it as appropriation, but as me partaking in their culture." - Olga

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Discussing Cultural Appropriation in Dance - Cumbe

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In May, we posted this video of Morgan Bullock artfully performing Irish Dancing for the #savagechallenge. Her style and work went viral, sparking excitement, conversation and controversy. Some accused her of cultural appropriation. Check out this article from the Washington Post describing the fallout from Morgan Bullock being a boss and executing Irish Dance like she was born doing it.

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https://thebutlercollegian.com/2021/12/cracking-cultural-appropriation-butler-ballet-updates-the-nutcracker/

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ARIE LIKHTMAN | STAFF REPORTER | alikhtman@butler.edu

If it wasn't obvious enough from the frigid temperatures and the abundance of red Starbucks cups containing peppermint mochas, the holiday season has finally arrived here on campus. The holidays at Butler would not be the same without campus' countless end of the year traditions, perhaps the most notable of which being Butler ballet's annual rendition of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's timeless ballet: "The Nutcracker"

As with any tradition, every new iteration of this show brings not only a wave of nostalgia, but a chance to look back on the past and take a step into the future. This year, Butler ballet is taking a giant leap forward, seizing the opportunity to bring an iconic yet antiquated ballet into the 21st century, updating the production to be far more inclusive and celebratory of diverse cultures.

While the Land of Snow dances have been mostly subject to critical acclaim, the Land of Sweets dances reveal the uncomfortably tone-deaf nature of the ballet, specifically in regards to the show's depiction of Asian cultures.

One of the dances features an homage to tea and is simply known as "The Chinese Dance." In most productions of "The Nutcracker," the Chinese tea dancers are portrayed by caucasian performers dressed in stereotypical Chinese clothing, with some productions even appropriating stereotypes of Chinese eye shapes using makeup. This blatant use of yellowface - the practice of non-Asian people imitating Asian stereotypes - has been the subject of intense condemnation in the dance world, especially in the wake of renewed dialogues about the necessity of cultural sensitivity and inclusion in the arts.

Butler Ballet is re-envisioning the tea scene to be far more accurate and representative of the rich cultural history of China in order to take a stand against orientalist cultural practices. Orientalism refers to the otherization of Asian cultures by Europeans.

Ramon Flowers, assistant dance professor at the Jordan College of the Arts, describes some of the key changes that Butler ballet has made to the tea scene.

"For the section formerly known as 'Chinese,' I suggested we call it Dragon's Beard Candy, which is a dessert that used to serve the Emperors of China," Flowers said. "I changed the movements to reflect the essence of The Monkey King, the main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West ."

Sydney Kastelitz, a senior strategic communications major, describes the audience experience of the overall production and the Dragon's Beard candy scene.

"The production was beautiful, the choreography, the costumes, and the individual dancers created an incredible atmosphere." Kastelitz said in a message to The Butler Collegian. "The [Dragon's Beard Candy] scene included a male soloist and four women. The women used fans and the male soloist did a lot of gymnastics-tumbling-karate-type moves. It was definitely a difficult dance."

Flowers continues to fight for cultural authenticity in dance, even creating and teaching a course that specifically addresses the issue of social justice within the world of ballet. Although dance faculty such as Flowers have played a strong role in Butler ballet's re-imagination of "The Nutcracker," this project has been spearheaded by Butler students within the dance department.

Brita Gilbert, dance arts administration major, shared her thoughts on what the changes to "The Nutcracker" mean to students within the dance department.

Gilbert also stressed that the ballet industry has continually faced criticism in regards to its treatment of marginalized communities.

"Entry into the professional ballet world is difficult and demanding for all dancers, but artists in the BIPOC community experience increased barriers to entry, as well as being burdened with the responsibility of defying long-standing Eurocentric ballet standards," Gilbert said.

Butler ballet remains committed to lead the charge when it comes to making the dance world a safer and more inclusive place for all individuals, but there remains much more work to be done.

"I am proud of the work that Butler ballet is doing, but the work is not finished, and I look forward to how we can further support and accept all artists in the world of dance," Gilbert said.

Ballet students and faculty alike have come together to champion this project, even achieving national recognition for their commitment to cultural authenticity and creating diverse spaces for not just dancers, but for the campus community as a whole.

Not only was this year's Nutcracker a step in the right direction for diversity, but it yet again reaffirmed Butler Ballet's commitment to excellence in performance.

As the semester creeps to a close and the holiday spirit washes over the Butler community in waves of snow and peppermint, students continue to take a stand to ensure that this most-wonderful-time-of-the-year remains time for all.

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Cracking cultural appropriation: Butler Ballet updates "The Nutcracker"

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ARIE LIKHTMAN | STAFF REPORTER | alikhtman@butler.edu If it wasn't obvious enough from the frigid temperatures and the abundance of red Starbucks cups containing peppermint mochas, the holiday season has finally arrived here on campus.

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Inspired. Arten Oliinyk/Shutterstock

Dance has been a significant part of human culture since the very earliest civilisations. While today it is done more for entertainment purposes, its use can be traced back many thousands of years to ancient ceremonies and rituals.

For as long as they have been moving, dancers have always borrowed from other forms of movement, using them as inspiration to evolve their own work. But in recent years, when too much inspiration is taken, critics have started accusing dancers of cultural appropriation.

Take belly dance for example. One of the world's oldest forms of dance, it originated in Middle Eastern and Northern African countries, such as Egypt, Turkey and Lebanon, but is now danced around the world.

Belly dancing isn't just one type of dance: there is no single set of moves to follow in time to a beat. Though there are certain moves that are similar - focusing on the hips, chest and shoulders being moved in isolation from the rest of the body - each culture has its own version of a belly dance.

In Egypt, for example, belly dancing is "raqs sharqi", or "dance of the east". Studying belly dance in Egypt is akin to learning tango in Argentina, samba in Brazil, or the martial art taekwondo in Korea: it is a cultural home that dancers flock to for expert tuition.

Egyptian belly dance is quite earthy, relaxed, and focuses on small movements of the torso. Traditionally, it is danced solo with live music, and the dancer moves in accordance with how the music makes them feel and their connection with the audience - a feature known as " tarab ", which translates as "ecstasy" or "enchantment".

Today raqs sharqi is enjoyed all over the world - but not everyone is happy about that. There have been claims of appropriation, and concerns that the true essence of Egyptian belly dancing is being lost to commercialisation. A hotel in Western Europe, for example, could choose to hire a dancer who has no knowledge of Egyptian dance to perform an evening of belly dance in their restaurant, while marketing the dance as authentically Egyptian, for commercial gain.

The problem with this "appropriation" is that some fear it misrepresents the Egyptian cultural heritage. But all types of belly dancing combine numerous elements - movement, dancers, costumes, props and music - for a single performance, so specifically defining its cultural significance is no easy task, particularly when it is comparable to other forms of movement.

In addition, like so many other forms of dance, raqs sharqi has evolved to incorporate elements of other dance disciplines. When performances were developed for Egyptian movies, for example, elements of ballet and ballroom dance were picked up. And so arises another problem: just who is to say what constitutes borrowing, and the development of a dance, and what makes for cultural appropriation?

Appropriation or appreciation

Advice on how one goes about balancing the enjoyment of dance with respect for its cultural roots varies greatly depending on who you ask. Some will say that dances should be shared, and the fact that dancers are embracing new movements around the world celebrated, while others take a stricter view, saying certain dance styles should only be performed by those of certain heritage, in an approved manner and setting.

Whichever view you take, it is clear that effort could be made to value a dance's cultural roots. This could be as simple as saying that a performance was inspired by a type of dance, rather than a representation of it. Alternatively, performers could make a little more effort to ensure they are connecting with and representing a dance according to its true traditions and cultural heritage.

Greater thought could also go into the use of certain terms like "traditional" or "authentic". Here governments and organisations such as UNESCO have a role to play in helping to protect heritage, listing more types of dance on cultural registers, for example, and explaining their importance.

But ultimately it is still important to allow heritage to be flexible, and to incorporate change and give people the freedom to create. Mash-ups like Hiplet - a combination of hip-hop and ballet - have shown just how vital dance exploration can be to encourage new dancers to take up the moves, and keep them alive.

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When does borrowing become cultural appropriation in dance?

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Dance has been a significant part of human culture since the very earliest civilisations. While today it is done more for entertainment purposes, its use can be traced back many thousands of years to ancient ceremonies and rituals.