Film Director Khadifa Wong spoke with Tucson Weekly ahead of the Black History Month screening of her film Uprooted, presented by the School of Theatre, Film & Television’s Hanson FilmTV Institute in collaboration with the School of Dance and Africana Studies.
In the interview Wong talks about how the film explores the political and social issues that have influenced jazz dance and discusses how racism, sexism, and cultural appropriation have played a part in that history.
“We were always told that jazz dance came from the American South, but the detail of it was never there,” Wong said.
“It would have been good to know as a young black girl studying dance. You are really only taught the European side of things. It would have been good to know that you had such a vital place in dance history. When you’re not taught those things, it’s easy to look at yourself and wonder if you belong in that environment.”
Wong will join film team members Matt Simpkins and Laura Smyth for a post-screening Q&A on Feb. 10.
Uprooted will screen on Feb. 10 at 7pm at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre. Admission is free and tickets are available at the door.
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