Confronting Privilege through Activism and Art

Posted
September 2, 2020

Rahila Coats, a senior in the BFA dance program, was introduced to the world of dance and performance at a very young age. The south Minneapolis native grew up watching her mom teach yoga and movement classes and participating in theatrical summer intensive workshops with Penumbra Theatre Company.

“I kept on doing things that I love and it kept on being dance,” Coats says. She initially began her college and dancing career at Gustavus Adolphus College, but soon after beginning her freshman year, she took the opportunity to tour in Atlanta with Threads Dance Project (while continuing her university courses online).

After spending time away from home, Coats wanted to look for creative experiences even farther afield than Atlanta. “I knew from when I went into my sophomore year that I was going to go abroad,” she remarks. Knowing that these opportunities were available at UMN, she auditioned for the BFA program and transferred here for her sophomore year and beyond.

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Rahila Coats