Faculty Features: Afro-Brazilian/Cuban with Angela Ingram

Angela Ingram began her dance career at the age of nine studying ballet, jazz, tap, and Hawaiian. Her passion for dance and movement led her to study with Alvin Ailey, Frank Hatchet and Fred Benjamin. Angela is especially attracted to folklore dance and she frequently travels to Brazil and Cuba studying Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban folklore as well as samba and rumba. She currently teaches an all levels Afro-Brazilian/Cuban adult drop-in class at Joy of Motion Dance Center Friendship Heights. The class meets Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and is part of our MOVE dance and fitness program. Please click here to register for her class.

What is your teaching philosophy and/or teaching style?

My philosophy is to maintain the integrity of the cultural and historical traditions that educate as to why and in what circumstances the dance, the song and the music were created.

What is your favorite part about teaching class? 

Teaching is such a reward. I love so much the exchange between my students and I. The more they ask why a step is executed in a certain way, the more they become in-tune with how to feel the movement in the technique of that cultural perspective.

What do you hope your students will take away from your class?

I hope students leave my class understanding the language of dance. The technique, the discipline. The understanding that we all have a story to tell and we can tell it through movement. I also hope they gain a deep appreciation of themselves. Taking dance class is not only fun, but it’s also healthy!