With the University’s many cultural organizations, students have the opportunity to see hula dancing, hear African poetry, and taste and smell traditional Indian food.
But while cultural nights are spaced throughout the year, on Wednesday, the Mills International Center’s World Performing Arts Night will allow University students to see many different cultures in the same place at the same time.
“The Mills International Center does a cultural event every spring term, but in the past it’s been things like a photo show or something like that,” said University senior Kellen Wertz, the MIC’s office manager. “There’s not a lot of opportunity for performers from different cultural backgrounds to perform at once.”
At a glance
| WHAT: | Performing Arts Night, featuring music, dancing, storytelling and poetry from all over the globe. |
| WHERE: | The Mills International Center, located above the post office on the EMU’s mezzanine level. |
| WHEN: | 7 to 9 p.m. tonight. |
| COST: | The event is free and open to the public and will include refreshments. |
MIC Program Manager Vania Situmeang, a University junior from Indonesia, said World Performing Arts Night will be similar to April’s International Night, but more low-key and intimate because it is in the MIC, as opposed to the EMU Ballroom.
“This is, like, week nine – we want (students) to relax,” Situmeang said. “And also for performers, it’s a great opportunity for them to share their cultures.”
She added that World Performing Arts Night can remind students the University is diverse. According to the International Student & Scholar Profile from the 2006-07 school year, there are more than 1,100 international students at the University representing nearly 100 countries that range from Armenia to Zimbabwe.
“I think we have many resources here, many international students, and they bring their cultures here,” she said. “This event will open (diversity) to the campus.”
Wertz, who is also the public relations officer for the Japanese Student Organization, is looking forward to watching the show, but he’s even more excited to perform a skit with the Japanese Performing Arts Company, a new student group.
The skit will incorporate martial arts and comedy, which Wertz said “references a lot of Japanese cultural themes. Basically, it’s comedic portrayals of archetypes like the samurai or Yakuza … the Japanese Mafia, basically.”
Other performances scheduled for Wednesday night include dances from Colombia and the United Arab Emirates, Hawaiian and Korean folk songs, African drumming and Austrian storytelling, among others.
“There’s a wide range of experience available on campus,” said University junior Sean Jin, a public relations intern for the International Student Association. “I think what (MIC is) trying to do is bring domestic and international students together to share their experiences, have conversation, learn a little bit about each other … It’ll be a cool event, hopefully a lot of people show up.”
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