Mr. Seny Camara teaches his weekly West African dance class in the Colony Hall Dance Studio.
By Eliana Li ’26
This year, Choate welcomed Mr. Seny Camara to the Dance Department. He brings his knowledge and talent to share with aspiring Choate dancers.
Mr. Seny Camara, who specializes in West African traditional dance originating from Guinea, Mali, and Sengal, praises dance as more than just movement, regarding it as a universal language instead. For Mr. Camara, it connects people from all over the world — from his students in New Mexico and Colorado to his family back home in Guinea, West Africa. “Dance has given me the opportunity to be able to connect with people from all walks of life, ages, and races, and I think that that’s the most beautiful thing,” he said.
Having been a teacher for more than two decades, teaching is a family tradition for Mr. Camara. “I teach because both of my parents were teachers, so this is kind of like the family business,” he shared. Mr. Camara and his dad used to teach together, spreading their love for the rich culture of West African dance to dancers of all backgrounds.
At Mr. Camara’s weekly Friday class, Choate students have been working on a Guinean coming-of-age dance, soko. “We’ve been learning about the drums used and how to respond to it by keeping a constant relationship between the dance movement and drum rhythm,” said Olivia Siegel ’24, a Dance Arts Concentration student.
Siegel has particularly enjoyed learning a new dance form not typically taught at other schools. “Mr. Camara is really enthusiastic about teaching West African dance and dance in Guinea,” she said. “He’s happy to answer questions about the history, culture, language, and instruments related to the dance.”
As a student choreographer, Siegel hopes to incorporate different aspects from Mr. Camara’s class, including the athletic, fast-paced, and high-energy movements into her work.
Since joining Choate, Mr. Camara has been content with the atmosphere surrounding the dance program. “Everybody is very, very, respectful, and I appreciate that. I think a lot of times in schools, there is a disconnect between the students and the teachers. And I think here, it’s not so much, and I like that,” he said.
In his class, Mr. Camara aims to teach skills that will benefit students in ways beyond the dance studio. “Everything is connected … so I just tie dance to everyday life,” he said.
