“What does it mean to be an American?” Joumana Asfour asks before beginning her filmed interview for “Rising From the Roots.” Through this celebration of immigrant stories – directed by Stephanie Patrick, artistic director of dance company Early Era Collective, in collaboration with filmmaker Rahul Chakraborty – attendees must contemplate that meaning as they travel from the Carver Museum’s lobby, through the adjoining hallway, and finally down into an open theatre, experiencing a combination of taped interviews and dance performances from location to location.
This exhibit begins in earnest with a filmed narrative. Tasneem Al-Michael speaks about the arduous journeys his family had to take to receive permanent residency to the U.S. However, discovering he wasn’t actually a full citizen of the U.S. in the first place created a rift in his understanding of who he was and the consequences therein. “I really knew I was undocumented when I was 13 years old,” Al-Michael says in his interview. “My parents never told me I was technically illegal on paper, and I was kind of soul crushed because this is the reason that I’ve been held back from going to things like sleepovers.” But within that struggle, he speaks to a tradition of fighting for those often unable to fight for themselves. His identity, he explains, is tied as much to activism as it is to his Bangladeshi upbringing.
The first display of dance is an instant sharp inhale. Led with impeccable grace by Anu Naimpally, director of Austin Dance India, the segment – titled “Shankari Shabdam: The Goddess, She Prevails” – is a master class of the strength inherent in the feminine body. The form of the Bharata natyam, the main classical style of Indian dance, showcases a breadth of movement that keeps the audience enraptured from the first pound of the mridangam – a two-sided drum that provides the steady heartbeat of the style.
“I welcome you with heartfelt feelings,” Naimpally says to the audience, arms outstretched and palms open. Her hands say, “You are welcome in my cultural home.” This iteration of “Shankari Shabdam” includes two younger dancers breathing their own identities into the intricate steps. Purna Bajekal, who takes her position to the right of Naimpally, has one of the most naturally expressive faces. A theatre of emotion as she, too, offers open hands. Soumya Nagesh, to Naimpally’s left, has an intensity in her eyes that asks you to trust. A warrior even in her warmth. A ferociously exquisite precision of movement. Feet touch floor solidly, as the dancers step heel to toe. Every stab in the air is softened by the delicate twist of a wrist.
Alexa Capareda, ballet master for Ballet Austin II, integrates dance into her story titled “Homing/Re-Homing.” From the recollection of dance as a staple in her upbringing, an experience she shares on camera, she illustrates that movement plays an integral role in her identity, having studied ballet practically her entire life, first in her homeland of the Philippines, then in Texas. Her interview pours neatly into her performance with Lisa del Rosario, one that emphasizes the phases of “re-homing” – finding oneself, acceptance, celebration.
From contemporary ballet to Afro-Latino dance, an inviting mambo provided by Oro Dance Company gives viewers a glimpse into its roots. Latin ballroom has a rich and storied history, one whose struggle with identity is a common tussle within the community. However, in the flowing sway of dancers Kittie Pacheco, Sydney Briggs, and Robbie Sky, the narrative becomes each style’s abundant warmth. A hearty flamenco, pounded into the floor by A’lante Flamenco’s Olivia Chacon and Bianca Rodriguez, follows on the heartstopping yodel of vocalist Celia Corrales Sellers.
Nestled between dances comes arguably the night’s most polarizing narrative. Imam Imad Enchassi, chairman of Islamic Studies and chaplain and professor at the Wimberly School of Religion at Oklahoma City University, shares his family’s history of escaping conflict. Growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Enchassi speaks openly about the pain inherent in being forcefully torn from one’s identity. He built his sense of self around the service of others, evidenced by his hands-on work as a white hat for the Red Cross during the war in his homeland, and his continuous outspoken support for those suffering through the current genocides testing humanity’s moral fabric. “I think every generation reminds America of its ideals,” he states toward the end of his interview. (The applause seems a bit less enthusiastic after Enchassi’s story, when considering the echoing ovations throughout the night.)
The exhibit comes to a close with a chorus of voices and claps, A’lante Flamenco’s dancers and the singers that accompanied sending us off with a refrain. Answers to the original question – “What does it mean to be an American?” – are as varied and unsettled as the country itself. However, each person’s story provides, if not a blueprint, a guide on how to embrace the less pleasant quirks and nuances of our respective American experiences and find our true selves through some of the madness.
“Rising From the Roots“
George Washington Carver Museum
Friday, September 13
This article appears in September 20 • 2024.