Music can communicate all sorts of emotions that exist in every culture.
For example, earlier this year, on American Idol, the latest winner Iam Tongi was on stage with James Blunt to sing Blunt's song "Monsters" which was about dealing with his father's death. That was the same song that Tongi was singing in his audition and he mentioned that he could relate to that song because his father also passed away.
That performance was a great example of how 2 people of different backgrounds (Iam Tongi is Polynesian: James Blunt is British) can come together to sing about something that people of all ancestries can relate to.
However, there are some people who think music should be segregated. They believe it is "cultural appropriation" to perform songs from people of a different ancestry.
Earlier this year, writer who goes by the pen name "theoaknotes" had a blog post titled "Want to Make Your Dance Class More Inclusive? Here’s What You Need To Know". She wrote how dance classes should be more accommodating to those (like her) who are non-binary and neurodivergent.
However, within the same exact post she stated this
I’ll never forget the time I watched a group of entirely non-Black dancers perform a routine to Tina Turner’s ‘Proud Mary’. It made me shudder every time, and I never knew what to do with myself while it was happening. I busied myself backstage every night, but I wish I’d suggested they use a different song.
I want every choreographer to consider who’s in the room when they make a dance; cultural appropriation is so normalized in dance, and I’d love to see that shift.
I know that, personally, I’m a Black multiracial queer and gender non-conforming choreographer and performer, and I stay in my lane. I choreograph to songs by Prince or Kehlani or Todrick Hall — not to songs by Bad Bunny or BTS.
Hold up, hold up, hold up.
"theoaknotes" wants dance classes to be more inclusive towards her (African-American, non-binary, neurodivergent) but wants it to be exclusive to everyone else?
Inclusiveness for her, but exclusiveness towards everyone else?
Most musicians want to reach out to everyone and appreciate it when those of a different ancestry find meaning in their music. You don't need to be African-American to find meaning in the music of Tina Turner, and those "non-black dancers" that were mentioned might be able to tell you what they loved about Tina Turner's music if you asked them in a polite manner. I'm sure Tina Turner (who by the way, has a white European husband) would be proud that her music touched the hearts of those with a different ancestry!
Because music isn't only meant to touch the soul of one of the same ancestry, it touches the soul of everyone. If a song that touched my soul happened to be sung by a person of a different ancestry, I'm supposed to pretend it didn't touch my soul because "that's cultural appropriation"? Are you kidding me?
By the way "Proud Mary" was also sung by European-American folk-rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (released 1969) before Tina & Ike made their version of that song (1971). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proud_Mary)
So it's super-mega-ignorant for "theoaknotes" to "shudder" when dancers of non-African ancestries dance to a song that was originally sung by singers of non-African ancestries! Ike & Tina embraced songs from those of a different ancestry, and that's exactly what "Proud Mary" is!
"theoaknotes" said she wouldn't do dances from music from Bad Bunny or BTS because she doesn't share their ancestries. I have a different perspective. I say you don't need to be Latino (which I am) to take part in Latin American dances. I super-mega-ultra love it when those of non-Latine ancestries embrace Latin music. You don't need to be Korean to dance along with k-pop! BTS wouldn't be worldwide superstars if they didn't have non-Korean fans!
To "theoaknotes", I say this: You speak inclusion? Integration is inclusion! Tina Turner was about integration and inclusion. So when you're ready, add some BTS and Bad Bunny along with Prince or Todrick Hall in your routines!
And dammit, learn to embrace dancers of non-African ancestries dancing to a song by people of African ancestries!
Learn to embrace integration!
Or as the late Rodney King once said, "can we all just get along?"
