As a language teacher, something I have learned is that I’m always listening, because we need to continue to grow and our students need the best from us. Doing that requires that we are willing to grow. That is what my special guest in episode 46 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast makes me wonder about that makes me reflect on my own practices.
Have you ever pondered over the question, “¿Quieres bailar conmigo?” “Do you want to dance with me?” It’s more than a simple inquiry; it’s a gateway to a world of emotions, experiences, and traditional roles on the dance floor. My good friend and colleague, Abelardo Almazán-Vázquez, joins me this week to talk about this simple question and how in his classes this question has become a springboard to create vulnerable and powerful conversations around gender, consent, respect, and with the magic of comprehensible input, establish a safe and affirming space for everyone.
“Do you want to dance with me?”
Think about it – the times you’ve asked or been asked this question – the nervous excitement that may have accompanied it. But wait, don’t just think about dancing; let’s extend that reflection to the perspective and traditions behind this common practice. Who asked the question? Who is been asked? Why?
When I asked Abelardo what the back story was on his training, he had this to say, “It’s about consent. It’s about respect. It’s about interpersonal communication. And it’s about creating the safe and affirming space that challenges the binary men and women in dance. But it’s the idea that anyone can lead or anyone can follow. Or any student has the chance to be the leader or the follower in a given moment. And how do we normalize that? How do we create a session that goes beyond the normativity of the men leads and the woman follows as we were taught in Latin American countries, and this is coming from a very personal story.” To hear his personal story, listen above or here to episode 46.
Having This Conversation in 2023
Originally, Abelardo presented his training in 2018. Now, he has brought it back, and I asked him why now? Abelardo began, “Some of the work that I’ve been doing, in addition to the dance and the culture piece is that I’m in the journey of unlearning the hyper gendered nature of our language, the Spanish language.” “I’m also in a journey of trying to bring some awareness that many of our indigenous cultures in Mexico and in many other places, their language was genderless.”
Abelardo continued our conversation, I have some students that “thought that this space was very hyper gendered and objectifies women because of what we see in the media, what we see with some lyrics in the Spanish songs. I think I have an opportunity here. I think there’s a possibility for challenging those norms.”
The Conversation Isn’t Just About Dancing
As you can see, our conversation isn’t just about dancing; it’s a journey that touches upon themes of consent, identity, roles, and inclusion. Abelardo’s voice resonates with tolerance, compassion, and a thoughtful approach to push our conversations inside our classes beyond the obvious practice.
Let’s explore how these seemingly simple conversations about dance can open doors to meaningful discussions in our classrooms and reflect and question some of our own practices. How?
Abelardo suggests, “As a CI teacher, you may really enjoy this idea of just getting up and move and do brain breaks and do like a quick 10 minute dance.” “You can tell your students, “Okay, everyone, let’s dance.” Now, not everyone will want to dance. We have to be okay with that because we are modeling for the students.”
Listen to the Whole Conversation
Join us by simply clicking the link below to play episode 46. Get ready to dance through ideas and insights, and as always, happy listening!
Meet Abelardo Almazán-Vázquez
Abelardo is an experienced educator with over 12 years of teaching Spanish, coaching an all-gender soccer team, and sharing his Latin dance expertise at The Putney School. Abelardo’s journey includes a Licenciatura in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language from Universidad Internacional UNINTER in Morelos México, and a Master’s in Latin American Studies from Cleveland State University. As a 19-year immigrant, Abelardo proudly represents the vibrant “City of the Eternal Spring,” Cuernavaca México. His remarkable contributions have earned him invitations to present at renowned WL conferences, including the distinguished MaFLA2018’s “Best of Massachusetts.” Abelardo is a co-founder of the influential MCTLC 2020 “BIPOC/Immigrant world language educators strand” and a sought-after speaker at NECTFL2021, where his caring presence and insights left a lasting impact. His testimonies and experiences have also led him to serve as the keynote speaker at the Greater Washington Association of Teachers of Foreign Language 2021 Spring Conference, the recent 2023 Vermont Foreign Language Association Spring Conference, and most recently, the Keynote Speaker for the Western Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy Awards Ceremony 2023.
Connect with Abelardo Almazán-Vázquez https://linktr.ee/abelardoalmazanv
Links & Resources
Don’t forget, you can find all of the GWP The Podcast episodes here.
