By Rachel Luchmun
Multicultural Night, held on March 30 in the Polsky Theater, hosted a myriad of acts showcasing the multiplicity of cultures on campus, as well as raising awareness over serious issues. A silent auction was also held.
The acts comprised of songs, dances, poems and a fashion show. Additionally, speakers intimately involved with Invisible Children shared their experiences.
One of the most unusual acts was “Elude For Edibles” by Timothy Hoare, professor of humanities. In this skit, members of the audience came on stage and performed classical pieces of music by eating fruits.
The demonstration by the college’s Capoeira Club was also a high point of the night. Graceful yet powerful with on-stage musical accompaniment, the martial artists impressed the room and showcased their skills.
Other dances included a Bollywood piece with dancers clad in black and gold; a Samba dance by the Capoeira club; a dance to Kazakh music by Aizhan Tazhigulova; traditional Colombian dance “La Pollera”; and streetdance by Alex Nonprasit.
Music was not forgotten. Sulgi Yoon played piano twice, first accompanying Megan Kness singing “I’ll Stand By You,” and then Helena Salt singing “The Goose’s Dream.” Keyaira Hunter displayed her talents for high notes through two songs, “Work it Out” and “I Put a Spell on You.” Daby Hong performed “Lullaby of Berlin” wearing traditional Korean clothes. A band, the Nepali Boys, brought an element of rock music with electric guitars and drums.
The fashion show included traditional clothes from many countries around the world, including Korea, Japan, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, India and Mexico.
Two former members of the college’s Invisible Children club gave speeches to share their experiences. William Payne, founding member and former president of the Invisible Children club on campus, mentioned the controversy surrounding the Kony 2012 campaign, specifically the claims that it seemed to push forward the idea of the “white man’s burden.”
“As a multi-racial American I don’t see it that way,” Payne said. “Invisible Children stretches across boundaries.”
Sara Jawhari was involved with Invisible Children on campus and also interned at the Invisible Children headquarters in San Diego, Calif. She shared her experience as a Muslim in the United States and of her trip to the Gaza Strip to provide food and necessities to civilians.
“I wanted to see how Invisible Children manages to mobilize so many people around one issue and apply it to my country [Palestine],” Jawhari said.
Masters of ceremony Daniel Ferman and Jason Wang Jr. kept the audience entertained between acts, improvising jokes when technical difficulties delayed the next act.
“We did all we could to prepare for the night, although there were some technical difficulties,” said Ferman, who is also the president of the college’s Invisible Children chapter. “We could probably have promoted it more.”
The night closed on a rendition of “Imagine” by Too Late for Satellites, in which all the participants and audience joined in.
Contact Rachel Luchmun, managing editor, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.