Dimmed lights illuminated select DePauw students as they portrayed both contemporary and traditional dances from various countries in the Union Building Ballroom last Friday.
Student organization Wamidan presented Cultural Expressions on Nov. 9, from 6 to 7 p.m., featuring dances from Korea, Japan, Nigeria, Burma, and Ivory Coast, and a fashion show that showcased traditional apparel from different cultures. Audience members also had an opportunity to vote for their favorite performance.
Cora Thair, president of Wamidan, said she is glad the event turned out well and that a lot of people came. She thinks it is important that college students attend events like Cultural Expressions.
“We all know that it’s a liberal arts institution, and we have a huge diversity here,” Thair said.
Thair, a junior biology major, also thinks it’s important for college students to attend those events if they choose to work abroad after they graduate, so that they know what culture is like in other parts of the world.
“We kind of show our culture through dances, and the traditional apparel that we wear to campus,” Thair said.
Thair taught the Korean dance for the popular song “Be My Baby,” by the Korean girl band Wonder Girls. Though they did not win, Thair was proud to perform with her fellow dancers.
“The dancers are really nice,” Thair said. “They’re really hardworking.”
Other than helping teach a dance, Thair was also involved with helping to organize the technological aspects of the show like speakers, reaching out to potential dancers, asking for support from professors, and offering different dances to Wamidan members who are interested in fashion.
“We have really active members; that’s why the show works out really well,” Thair said.
Thair enjoyed learning about dances and outfits from different countries. Since Thair is from Burma, she enjoyed seeing one of her friends wear Burmese traditional clothing.
Cultural Expressions, however, was not without difficulties. Some of the students prepared to dance got injured prior to the performance. Also, since this is the first time Wamidan has prepared a fall show of this nature, they did not showcase that many performances and the show was shortened.
Whatever difficulties arose did not seem to be noticed by the audience, who remained heavily focused on watching the dances and very much involved with the voting process, clapping and raising their hands for their favorite dances.
“They were nice,” Meghali Deshmukh, attendee of the event, said of the performances. “They had a lot of different stuff, so it was a nice balance.”
Deshmukh, a sophomore biology major, said that her favorite performance was the group dance for “Bottom Belle,” a modern Nigerian remix of a funk favorite by the African Rhythm Messengers.
“It had a lot of energy, as compared to a solo,” Desmukh said.
Cultural Expressions, which offered free pizza to all audience members throughout the event, alternated between group performances and solo dances. “Bottom Belle” won the voting contest for the best group performance, and “Senhime,” a Japanese dance won for the best solo.
Cultural Expressions ended with chatter amongst lingering audience members and informal dancing amongst dancers, as music continued to play after the hour was up.
Attendee Sarah Ryan, the director of the Women’s Center, had positive words to say about Wamidan in general at the end of the event.
“The Wamidan performances are some of my favorites [at DePauw],” Ryan said.