Woman with bright orange and yellow hat holding long ribbons in a dance studio.

Josette Young

Art Form(s)
Dance
Artist Credentials
Maryland Wolf Trap Teaching Artist
MSAC Teaching Artist Roster
About this Artist

Pronouns: she/her/hers

By dancing to Carnival music and learning the accompanying choreography, students will be exercising while gaining new knowledge about these important traditions while witnessing the magnificence of Afro-Latinx culture, music, and costume. I feel like I am able to transfer the joy–of dance, of discovery–to children. I wish to turn my nostalgia for these traditions into a unique educational opportunity for the youth. The class mission is to inspire, educate and entertain.

Originally from Panama, I’ve lived in the Maryland area for over 25 years. I am a teaching artist on the MSAC Roster and a graduate of Performing Arts Industry Essentials. I developed and executed a dance class for youth inspired by the folk art (Carnival) and the cherished memories I have of it. I call this program Universal Carnival Art and Dance Class. Carnival, this one of a kind celebration that blends the African and Indigenous ancestry of Panama, is the driving inspiration for my course Universal Carnival. I developed this course with the intention to share the joy I felt as a child experiencing Carnaval in Panama, from the fashion, choreographed dances, hairdos, headdresses and massive parade floats. Not only was Carnaval an impressive tradition that garnered crowds from around the world, it was also instrumental in my upbringing in Panama. Our schooling back home from Kindergarten into highschool, made sure to emphasize the folk traditions, arts, and history of Panama. I received intensive training in the music, dance, and performing arts discipline.