Spring Break
CultureSCAPE diversifies and conquers
Issue date: 11/15/07
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Another highly entertaining performance was from the Filipino Dance group, a division of the Filipino Students Association. Every year, they perform a dance with long wooden poles that bang the ground and clap together, as dancers move in and out of their paths. And although interesting, the audience has little to identify with. This year, however, they decided to add a more modern aspect to the dance, showing the move from a traditional Filipino couple to a more modern day, Filipino-American couple. In this manner, the dancing between the poles was much more enjoyable for everyone.
There were a few acts that were less than satisfactory. Egyptian Sun Belly Dancing put on an uninspiring stunt with the balancing of knives and the twirling of scarves. The unflattering costumes also hurt the performance. The official dance team of the University, the Ladybirds, certainly put the crowd to sleep with two "fusion" dance pieces, one Latin Jazz and the other American Disco. The highlight of the performance was the can-can line, Ã la Rockettes. Although they have done well to choose tops that cover their midsections, one would imagine that with all that talent, they could come up with more exciting choreography.
However, overall, the performances in this year's CultureShow were the best seen at Hopkins. The addition of individual performers such as Kenney and Diedre Lee, who played "Fighting the Typhoon" on an ancient Chinese instrument called the Guzheng, proved to be worthwhile, entertaining, and, most importantly, educational. Sometimes this message is lost on the audience; as they cheer for their friends, they forget what the purpose of the CultureShow is - to educate the student body on different cultures and ethnicities.
This year, the planning committee was smart to make sure that each performance was prefaced by a short introduction by a performer, explaining the history and meaning behind each group and its performance piece. This provided a historical reference point for each act, allowing the audience not only to appreciate the music and dancing but also the cultural background.
This year's CultureShow was generally a success and certainly an improvement over past years.Hopefully awareness and understanding of cultures will now no longer just be a once-a-year event. If this is any indication of what CultureSCAPE has to offer, this year's diversity education should be a profound achievement.
There were a few acts that were less than satisfactory. Egyptian Sun Belly Dancing put on an uninspiring stunt with the balancing of knives and the twirling of scarves. The unflattering costumes also hurt the performance. The official dance team of the University, the Ladybirds, certainly put the crowd to sleep with two "fusion" dance pieces, one Latin Jazz and the other American Disco. The highlight of the performance was the can-can line, Ã la Rockettes. Although they have done well to choose tops that cover their midsections, one would imagine that with all that talent, they could come up with more exciting choreography.
However, overall, the performances in this year's CultureShow were the best seen at Hopkins. The addition of individual performers such as Kenney and Diedre Lee, who played "Fighting the Typhoon" on an ancient Chinese instrument called the Guzheng, proved to be worthwhile, entertaining, and, most importantly, educational. Sometimes this message is lost on the audience; as they cheer for their friends, they forget what the purpose of the CultureShow is - to educate the student body on different cultures and ethnicities.
This year, the planning committee was smart to make sure that each performance was prefaced by a short introduction by a performer, explaining the history and meaning behind each group and its performance piece. This provided a historical reference point for each act, allowing the audience not only to appreciate the music and dancing but also the cultural background.
This year's CultureShow was generally a success and certainly an improvement over past years.Hopefully awareness and understanding of cultures will now no longer just be a once-a-year event. If this is any indication of what CultureSCAPE has to offer, this year's diversity education should be a profound achievement.
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