We danced at Wake Forest on Friday night. We square danced. Under the spectacular light of a full moon — students, faculty, physics Ph.D. candidates, administrators, Reynolds Scholars, the provost, alumni and faculty children — we held hands, we laughed and we danced to centuries old string band music played by a multi-generational Wake Forest band.
I heard Italian spoken, and Spanish and at one point hip-hop dance joined old-time flat-foot dancing. An English faculty member danced with her gleeful infant bound to her. Every single face bore a smile. It was nothing short of spectacular.
Foot-stompin' fun on Manchester Plaza Nov. 3 as Wake Foresters dance to music by the Unbroken Circle string band.
Decades ago, it was dancing that separated us from our Baptist founders. We danced at Wake Forest in protest. What sweet irony that on Friday night, it was not dance that separated us but dance that united us as a community. For two short hours we left behind our burdens, our stresses, our differences and our loneliness and we danced together.
We were neither old nor young, black nor white, International nor American born, we were humans. Wake Forest humans. And moving together with the music we experienced an important side of Pro Humanitate — community.
Martha Blevins Allman
We will surely dance again. The Student Union and The Unbroken Circle will invite you and entice you. Next time, leave behind whatever hindered you and join us. We need to seek community now, and unity and joy. Dance with us.
Martha Blevins Allman (’82, MBA ’92, P ’15, ’19) is dean of undergraduate admissions and a founding member of the Unbroken Circle band.
