Featured Scholar:
Juliana Azoubel
2000 - 2001 University Scholar Mentor: Mentor:
Joan Frosch
College of Fine Arts
Juliana Azoubel learned to dance while growing up in Brazil. The diverse cultural mix of her hometowns Recife and Olinde allowed her to experience a variety of dance traditions and styles. "African and European influences are common in Brazil, and I began to make connections between different dances and different cultures," she says. "As dance became a more important part of my life, I wanted to know more about the culture and traditions behind the dance."
Azoubel's talent and her interest in dance ethnology led her to work as
an instructor of Brazilian dance in South America, Europe, and the United
States. In 1996, after teaching at the Lincoln Center in New York, she visited
friends in Florida and met with members of UF's World Music Ensemble Jacare
Brazil. When the Ensemble later offered her a teaching position, she agreed
to return as both a student at UF and a dance instructor.
Through her classwork with Joan Frosch (Fine
Arts), Azoubel was invited to join the Agbeddi Africa Music and Dance Ensemble,
and she was accepted into the University Scholars Program. "Dr. Frosch
became my mentor. She showed me videos of ceremonies in the Ivory Coast
that included traditional masks. I had studied Brazilian masks and their
roles in Brazilian dance, so this was very familiar to me."
Azoubel's USP work centered on interpreting the Ivorian masks. "We were interested in both the choreography of the Ivorian dance and the traditions and beliefs that give meaning to the masks," Azoubel explains. She was surprised to find that most American observers view the masks only as concrete, decorative items. "Westerners often miss the spiritual aspect of these masks, even though that is fundamental to their creation. And the dances certainly would not exist without the masks."
Part of Azoubel's research
included interviewing two UF artists-in-residence from the Ivory Coast,
Mamadou Dahoue and Trabi Lisie. They helped define the purpose of the masks
and dances, and they stressed the religious nature of both. "They view
the masks as sacred objects. Sometimes I asked very direct questions and
they explained that straightforward answers were impossible. Other times
they said that certain information can only be passed down from parent to
child; no one else should hear these things."
Azoubel plans to continue dancing and studying dance ethnology. "Dance started out as a hobby for me, but now it is an essential part of my life. Traditions like dance are what keeps a culture alive, and I want to take part in that."
Photos courtesy of Juliana Azoubel
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