Levi Hancock Shares His Experience Touring with the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble (IFDE) and Creating “The Charleston” Music Video with Mountain Strings
As a member of the International Folk Dance Ensemble (IFDE) at Brigham Young University, I have the privilege of performing in various venues across the country and around the world. Each year, our dance team tours with Mountain Strings, a folk band from the BYU School of Music, to perform a show that features the unique music and dance styles of different cultures.
We've danced everywhere from grand, historic theaters filled with thousands of seats to small street corners and city plazas. One of the most meaningful places we've performed was in front of the Second Presbyterian Church on Wragg Square in Charleston, South Carolina.
While our ensemble focuses on representing diverse cultures and dance styles, I always find it special to perform a selection from my own American dance history. One of my favorite American pieces is a traditional Charleston dance. Set in the 1920s, it features colorful, sparkly dresses and sharp vests. Each dancer on IFDE has grown to love this piece, so we were especially excited to learn that we would be working with Aevium Films to recording a music video of it in Charleston, South Carolina — the birthplace of the iconic dance style.
During spring semester 2024, IFDE and Mountain Strings toured Mexico and six states in the southern United States. Our tour kept us on the road for several hours each day as we performed at various locations. On the day we filmed, we arrived in Charleston just two hours before sunset, leaving us with a very limited window to capture the footage. Despite the time crunch, we pushed forward. Just minutes after parking our bus at the hotel, we were ready in full makeup and costume. Within those two hours, we miraculously filmed all the footage needed for a high-quality video that showcased our dance. This achievement was largely thanks to the incredible organization and creativity of our videographer, Nick Sales, who made the entire experience possible.
Filming this music video in such a historic location is an experience I will never forget. I am deeply grateful to Brigham Young University for providing students with profound opportunities for experiential learning. Experiences like this one continue to shape and inspire me in unforgettable ways.