Making your Argument through Dance: Advocating for Oppressed Indian Women
Why taking a risk on an assignment’s creative option is worth it
Peter Lougheed Leadership College classes include assignments that challenge students to show what they’ve learned about leadership through an issue they’re passionate about, and some students use these assignments as a platform to share a message. For her argument paper in Foundations of Leadership (INT D 301), international student Akanksha Yeola selected a controversy close to her heart: the oppression of South Asian women. Back home in India, she witnessed how women were treated as puppets and manipulated by their male counterparts, leading to underrepresentation in politics and media, as well as violence and abuse.
After researching the topic of their choosing, students are instructed to make an argument as a traditional paper or through a creative format. Akanksha opted for the latter to use her passion for dance, a culturally relevant medium passed down through her family. “I saw [the project] as a platform that I wouldn’t have had back home,” she explained. The instructional team was impressed that she subverted the traditional form of dance to share the plight of South Asian women. You can see how she harnessed the opportunity in the quality of her performance, and its production, on YouTube.
The choreography depicts a woman’s journey as she rises to a victorious position of power, only to be pulled between conflicting responsibilities, then struck down into the traditional role of motherhood as she motions cradling a baby. The juxtaposition of the proud, strong movements before falling and the modest actions afterwards reflect the woman’s attempt to appease cultural norms while doing her best to strive for more. The final pose is a pointed call to India’s current political leaders, the Bharatiya Janata Party, who have a lotus as their icon and have been recently implicated in oppressive measures.
However, if viewers interpret the choreography differently, Akanksha is actually thankful for the varied explanations her dance allows. Her mother⏤Akanksha’s biggest inspiration and a teacher back in India⏤had responded with five different interpretations of the dance! “If I had written something down, that’s the only way they would have thought of it,” she explains as she imagines how the assignment would have turned out as a written paper. The video’s value grew with each new meaning, and in sharing, meaningful discourse occurred.
Even though the project was hindered by COVID-19, limiting her to filming alone in the Film & Video Arts Society of Alberta (FAVA) studio and restricting her from including other dancers, she’s glad she didn’t opt to write a traditional argument paper. Her pride is evident as she encourages other students to infuse their passion into their assignments, even if it means leaving one’s comfort zone as it did for her. Inspired by her family and the support of her fellow students⏤Wesley Hilario filmed and edited the video and Dominik Toth created the original music⏤she felt it was a worthwhile challenge.
Publicly sharing her video is not the end of Akanksha’s plans to help improve gender equality and increase awareness. With her Faculty of Science education, she’ll one day join the female change-makers in the male-dominated field of STEM. She’s optimistic in seeing the opportunities afforded to her and other women of colour in Canada, but reminds us that there is more work to be done locally and abroad. She’ll continue to channel her passions and take risks on behalf of the girls and women unable to speak out, and her potential to make an impact is already evident. She resolutely told us, “what I’m doing matters, and I’m not going to stop.”
Want to take an elective on leadership? In partnership with the Peter Lougheed Leadership College, the Faculty of Arts offers INT D 301: Foundations of Leadership. This course has no prerequisites and is available to undergrads in their second-year and above. Find it on Beartracks.
Interested in developing your leadership capacity during your degree while earning a Certificate in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies? PLLC’s undergraduate program includes four courses and a self-directed leadership project with up to $5,000 in funding, plus optional resources like mentorship and awards. Students from all UAlberta faculties are eligible. Find out how you can get involved on the PLLC website.
Author bio: Shelby MacLeod, Communications Coordinator, Peter Lougheed Leadership College. Shelby MacLeod adventures vicariously through UAlberta students as she shares the stories of Peter Lougheed Leadership College scholars. Efforts of students like Akanksha give her hopes for her dream of a more inclusive, sustainable and responsible future. She selfishly hopes that that future will also include unlimited access to books for her love of reading.
