Folk Arts - Master Artist - Franchesska Berry

Franchesska Berry is a dancer and educator who has taught dance in Seattle, Washington, since 1996. A recent graduate of the Masters in Education program at Antioch University, Seattle, and a 2008 Fulbright scholar, Berry’s work represents both the artistic and scholarly applications of dance. The Fulbright fellowship will take Berry to Cairo, Egypt, where she will continue to teach and perform. Berry, whose diverse dance background includes ballet, jazz, and modern styles and Brazilian and Caribbean influences, focuses on West African (Senegalese) and African Diasporic dance. Her honors include recognition as a cultural ambassador to Senegal and a place as an honorary member of the National Ballet du Senegal. Among the many teachers she has had the privilege of to work with, Berry considers Assane Konte, Medoune Yacine Gueye, and Marie Basse-Wiles to be her mentors.

In 2008, Berry received a Folk Arts Apprenticeship grant and will work with her student Elizabeth Kirkham. Through this apprenticeship, Kirkham will immerse herself in West African dance, learning its techniques and the culture that surrounds it. Berry will share her knowledge of the regional intersections between dance, language, clothing, and spirituality and also emphasize the role of musical and oral traditions. Attention will be paid to developing advanced, intricate body movements and footwork to refine Kirkham’s style and comportment as a dancer. Both Berry and Kirkham view dance as a tool which makes visible the affinities that exist between divergent cultures. Dance can be part of the cultural work which elicits, as Kirkham has noted, “the transformation of deeply held attitudes, prejudices, and cultural biases—one interaction at a time.”