When Dominique Nguyen first arrived at the University of Georgia, he wasn’t sure where he would fit it.
Coming from a diverse hometown, Ngyen said adjusting to a predominantly white campus felt isolating at times. That changed when he joined Pamoja Dance Company, and the group quickly became his home away from home.
Pamoja, which means unity in Swahili, was founded to provide an artistic outlet for minority students at UGA, regardless of dance experience. Members said the organization has become a space where they can find community and connection.
“Pamoja feels like back home for me,” said Nguyen, who now serves as a choreographer for the company.
Pamoja Dance Company held its final showcase of the season on April 26 at the University of Georgia New Dance Theatre. The show theme was “Super Bowl” and featured four quarters of choreography set to music by previous Super Bowl halftime performers.
The final showcase featured 13 graduating seniors who took their final bow as members of the organization. However, Pamoja President Nylah Richburg assured the group that they would be a part of the family forever. The community built through Pamoja does not end after graduation.
You’ll always have a home here. Carry this family wherever you go. Come visit, we love y’all,” said Richburg.
The final showcase was especially meaningful for Pamoja Vice President Zanobia Brown, a graduating senior who performed her first ever solo at the showcase. Brown said the final performance is bittersweet, but the solo is giving her a confidence boost she can carry into the next stage of life.
“I have loved every part of it,” Brown said. “This is one of my favorite parts of UGA because of the people and the connections I have made. Some of the people I met in the first semester of first year. The people who have gone, I learned so much from them.”
Courtney Craft is a junior journalism and political science major at the University of Georgia.
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