Cultural Management Beyond the Canon: Decolonial Practice in Motion

As the global cultural sector increasingly confronts historical injustices, decolonisation has emerged as both a moral imperative and a managerial challenge. The Jamaican dance technique L'Antech shows how confronting colonial legacies can foster innovation and create inclusive cultural practices.

Arts and cultural institutions in many countries are re-evaluating their practices,

programming, and partnerships to address colonial legacies. In this context, diversifying programming was a main focus in cultural management. But decolonisation requires a structural and epistemological shift in how institutions operate, who they serve, and whose knowledge they prioritise. Genuine decolonisation creates space for historically marginalised voices, ensuring they are heard, and actively shapes the narratives, aesthetics, and operational values of cultural institutions.

While much discourse has centred on the visual arts or museums, the performing arts—especially dance—offer potent ground for cultural transformation. 

Drawing on my master’s thesis from Leuphana University in art and cultural management, this article explores how decolonial practices can be integrated strategically within dance companies. This is exemplified by L'Antech, a Caribbean modern dance technique developed by L'Antoinette Stines. L'Antech demonstrates how cultural organisations in a former colonised country adapt and utilise indigenous cultural practices to decolonise their work and create new access and perspectives for the local population. The associated practices can serve as a model for cultural work in countries that were themselves colonisers rather than colonised and in which the cultural forms of formerly colonised regions of the world were long outside the canon.

This work emerged from my dual perspective as a Jamaican dancer and cultural manager living in Germany. It sought to understand how decolonial principles can be practically applied to contemporary dance practices, institutional structures, and educational initiatives. Using qualitative interviews, policy reviews, and case studies, I examined L'Antech not merely as choreography but as a strategic tool for cultural resilience, identity formation, and community engagement.

The conceptual framework employed theorists such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1986), Linda Tuhiwai Smith (1999), and Ibram X. Kendi (2019). For example, wa Thiong’o’s emphasis on reclaiming indigenous languages can be used as a base for understanding L'Antech as culturally rooted resistance. Smith’s methodologies guided research centred on lived experiences, while Kendi’s antiracist framework critically assessed institutional power dynamics.

The Innovation of L’Antech as a Decolonial Strategy

L'Antech uniquely blends traditional Jamaican dance, African spiritual practices, classical ballet, and contemporary technique into a system centred on Afro-Caribbean cultural identity. Beyond aesthetics, its managerial value lies in philosophically repositioning Black, Caribbean, and diasporic voices at the core of creative production, fostering genuine diversity, inclusion, and innovation in programming.

Insights gained through qualitative interviews with representatives from L’ACADCO and the NDTC confirmed that both organisations strategically embed decolonial values into their operations. According to interviewees, L'ACADCO intentionally incorporates ritualistic movements into community outreach performances as a means of resisting cultural erasure and affirming ancestral knowledge systems. NDTC, meanwhile, views its repertoire as rooted in Jamaican folklore and spirituality, not only as artistic expression but also as an act of cultural sovereignty and international diplomacy.

Both companies also run educational programmes aimed at cultural empowerment among youth. L’ACADCO’s Artistic Director, Dr. L’Antoinette Stines, explained that these initiatives are intended to cultivate national pride and intergenerational continuity of dance knowledge. Similarly, NDTC’s leadership described their school engagement programmes as tools for building cultural literacy, particularly among underrepresented students.

L'Antech uniquely blends traditional Jamaican dance, African spiritual practice, classical ballet, and contemporary technique into a system centring Afro-Caribbean cultural identity. Beyond aesthetics, its managerial value lies in philosophically repositioning Black, Caribbean, and diasporic voices at the core of creative production, fostering genuine diversity, inclusion, and innovation in programming.

Insights gained through qualitative interviews with representatives from L’ACADCO and the NDTC confirmed that both organisations strategically embed decolonial values into their operations. According to interviewees, L'ACADCO intentionally incorporates ritualistic movements into community outreach performances as a means of resisting cultural erasure and affirming ancestral knowledge systems. NDTC, meanwhile, views its repertoire as rooted in Jamaican folklore and spirituality, not only as an artistic expression but also as an act of cultural sovereignty and international diplomacy.

Both companies also run educational programmes aimed at cultural empowerment among youth. L’ACADCO’s Artistic Director, Dr. L’Antoinette Stines, explained that these initiatives are intended to cultivate national pride and intergenerational continuity of dance knowledge. Similarly, NDTC’s leadership described their school engagement programmes as tools for building cultural literacy, particularly among underrepresented students.

While formal impact studies remain limited, the cultural resonance and organisational legitimacy of these strategies are evident. L’ACADCO’s contributions were formally recognised by Jamaica Dance Umbrella in 2024, affirming its institutional standing and cultural influence. Their high-profile return to New York City—and decades-long international touring history—highlight their sustained global appeal and successful cultural diplomacy. Similarly, performances at venues such as the Kennedy Center have elicited standing ovations, described as “uniting body and the soul,” a testament to their emotional and artistic impact.

As for NDTC, for over six decades, they have intentionally embedded African-Caribbean folk traditions into modern dance as an act of cultural reclamation—part of their foundational mandate to decolonise Jamaican stage arts. Retrospective scholarly work further reinforces their enduring relevance in shaping a Caribbean aesthetic in dance and education. These findings collectively suggest that these decolonial strategies are both culturally resonant and managerially compelling.

Managerial Relevance for Cultural Institutions

L'ACADCO’s public workshops have significantly expanded access to Caribbean contemporary dance, supporting local cultural resilience in Jamaica and enhancing the global recognition of this art form. This impact is rooted in their prioritisation of community legitimacy alongside technical excellence in artist selection and the development of educational programmes centred on local knowledge systems. One notable example is their outreach in Kingston's inner-city communities, where dancers offer movement workshops designed to foster cultural pride and provide psychosocial support to youth affected by violence and economic instability. These workshops not only introduce dance as a creative outlet but also reinforce ancestral knowledge through ritual and embodied storytelling.

Similarly, the NDTC’s approach—particularly in curating international tours that feature works like Kumina, rooted in Jamaican spiritual traditions—positions their repertoire as a form of cultural diplomacy and national identity building. Their educational outreach in local schools reinforces a connection to heritage through embodied practice, fostering intergenerational learning and inclusion.

Such practices offer actionable models for cultural institutions seeking to translate decolonisation into managerial reality. They demonstrate how culturally grounded practices can shape institutional purpose, diversify engagement, and redefine success beyond Eurocentric benchmarks.

For cultural managers, the challenge is to support practices like L'Antech without tokenisation. They must actively shift traditional power structures in programming, funding, and leadership through approaches such as:

1. The creation of targeted funding initiatives for historically underrepresented artistic practices.

2. Forging meaningful partnerships with grassroots organisations and artists in the Global South.

3. Designing co-leadership structures that share decision-making power with culturally embedded practitioners.

4. Integrating decolonial training and reflective practices into institutional frameworks.

These shifts can enhance institutional legitimacy and foster sustainable relationships with diverse communities, allowing cultural institutions to remain socially responsive and artistically relevant.

Transferability Across Cultural Sectors

In their 40th Anniversary Season of Dance, "KALUNGA", L'ACADCO showcased works deeply intertwined with Caribbean identity and history. This season celebrated the company's legacy while reinforcing its commitment to cultural preservation, offering a practical model for how institutions across sectors can similarly embrace decolonial practices. Such lessons from Jamaican dance theatre can be broadly applied across various cultural sectors, including museums, theatres, festivals, and heritage sites. Institutions can benefit significantly by adopting similar frameworks rooted in decolonial practices:

• Recognising and embracing plural knowledge systems: Institutions can move beyond conventional Western frameworks by actively acknowledging and incorporating indigenous and local knowledge systems, not only from the organisations’ own countries. Museums, for instance, could adopt practices similar to L’Antech by creating exhibitions that engage community members in narrative construction and interpretation of cultural artefacts.

• Co-creating authentic cultural narratives with local communities: Theatres and festivals could use collaborative frameworks to engage community members as active participants in developing performances and events. The "KALUNGA" season by L'ACADCO exemplifies this approach, where guest choreographers and company members collaborated to produce culturally resonant performances that reflect Caribbean identity and historical themes.

• Utilising art as a platform for societal healing: Heritage sites and cultural institutions can facilitate societal healing by hosting performances and interactive workshops focused on reconciliation and cultural dialogue. Drawing inspiration from L'Antech’s concept of "synerbridging*", cultural managers can craft interdisciplinary programmes that connect diverse cultural traditions, enabling audiences to encounter and engage meaningfully with histories and perspectives different from their own.

*synerbridging: bridging multiple cultural forms in cooperation.

Navigating Challenges and Opportunities

Decolonial initiatives frequently face institutional resistance, funding constraints, and the risk of superficial engagement. One way to face these problems is through internal capacity-building, such as offering decolonisation training for staff or creating advisory boards that include representatives from traditionally marginalised communities. Institutions can also embrace co-leadership models where decision-making is shared between administrative and artistic voices rooted in lived cultural experiences. The NDTC provides a valuable example, having successfully navigated these obstacles by leveraging international collaborations and demonstrating their cultural value on a global stage. Through performances like "Kumina", NDTC affirms Jamaican cultural heritage while gaining international recognition and financial backing from governmental and private partners. This dual achievement reinforces the potential for culturally grounded, decolonial practices to sustain artistic integrity and institutional viability.

Addressing resistance by organisations requires:

• Gaining strong advocacy from institutional leaders who can champion change across departments.

• Developing sustained partnerships with community stakeholders, both local and international, that go beyond project-based collaborations to long-term co-creation.

• Employing flexible, responsive strategies to community and cultural shifts, allowing institutions to adapt to changing contexts without diluting the integrity of decolonial efforts.

Conclusion: Towards a Decolonial Cultural Management Practice

Decolonisation in cultural management is not a matter of optics or one-off programmes—it is a comprehensive institutional transformation. It demands that we ask hard questions about the origins of our cultural canons, the frameworks we prioritise, and the voices we centre. This work is ongoing, iterative, and requires long-term commitment.

The examples of L’ACADCO, NDTC, and L’Antech illustrate what is possible when cultural heritage becomes not only content but method. These practices do not seek to add diversity as an afterthought; they reframe how cultural institutions function, teach, and engage.

Cultural managers are thus called not only to support decolonial practices but to become co-authors of a more inclusive and equitable cultural future. This means forging ethical partnerships, investing in community-driven processes, and embracing innovation grounded in cultural specificity. By doing so, institutions can become spaces of healing, empowerment, and co-creation—places where histories are not rewritten but re-membered, and where culture serves as both a mirror and a map for a just society.

Further Reading and Resources

• Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing Methodologies (1999)

• Kendi, Ibram X. How to Be an Antiracist (2019)

• wa Thiong'o, Ngũgĩ. Decolonising the Mind (1986)

• UNESCO (2021). Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity

• Eve Tuck & K. Wayne Yang. Toward What Justice? Describing Diverse Dreams of Justice in Education (2018)

• Rolando Vázquez. Vistas of Modernity: Decolonial Aesthesis and the End of the Contemporary (2020)