Multicultural Night

Tonight in the BMU auditorium was the annual Multicultural Night hosted by the AS. It was packed! Fortunately I arrived 20 minutes to guarantee a seat somewhat close. My reward was an excellent view, allowing me to capture the details of each costume, my regret was the epic volume of the speakers! I think I might have damaged something...

The master of ceremonies greeted the crowd before the event started. I thought it was awesome that he reminded everyone to register to vote and make sure their voice is heard in 2008. Some people don't like the discussion of politics in a public forum, but I found it quite appropriate.

I would like to focus on two specific events that really caught my attention. The first was an impressionistic dance originating from Haiti. There were five women who were aptly titled the "Afro-Caribbean Dancers".Their dance was designed to demonstrate images of the spirit of work, the spirit of struggle and the spirit of liberation. The accompanying music was preformed by 5 percussionists. The equal number of percussionists and dancers created a very balanced symmetry. The minimalistic arrangement of the percussion was led by the drone of a cow bell, followed by three congas and one shaker. There were specific cues what were very clear. These cues not only introduced variations in the rhythm, but also transitions in the theme of the dance. The dancers were very animated. I wondered to myself who the directer of this project was, and what was the rehearsal process like? I think its exotic uniqueness is what I found the most attractive.

The second dance that really stands out in my mind was a kapaweta routine. Essentially, kapaweta is a Brazilian tribal dance. It combines elements of gymnastics, break dancing and martial arts. It is an awesome blend of cartwheels and pseudo kicks and blocks. Interestingly enough, no contact is ever made between the two dancers and they bounce and roll within a circle of their colleagues. All of the dancers were proficient, but two of the members were wearing white pants. I figured that they were the leaders. One of the white pants was amazing! This limber fellow would walk on his hands, twirl this way and that. Hoot and clap, he was all over the map! Someone who is very skilled at their craft makes it very easy. While I was watching them perform, I thought to myself, I could do that. But I quickly realized no, I can't do that, I'd kill my self!

I am glad that I made the trek back to campus tonight to catch this event. It's such a cool program that the AS puts on. Plus it is free so broke guys like me can afford to go! I also appreciated that almost every seat was filled with people standing around against the wall. The audience was polite and respectful, very courteous to the people on stage. Given the opportunity, I'll be there for sure next year!