Despite not coming from any of the ethnic or cultural backgrounds, three students from the mainland United States said they chose to perform in other culture clubs at Culture Night to build relationships, have a good time and strengthen their understanding of cultures with which they were already familiar.
Persuaded by his friend, Shan Sundaram, to perform with the India Club, Corbin Maciel, a biochemistry major and sophomore from Oregon, said he was skeptical at first but ended up loving being a part of Culture Night.
Maciel said he grew to love the dances the group performed through the practices. “At first I just wanted to perform and get it over with,” he said. “After I met the people in the club, I had so much fun dancing and acting like I was in a Bollywood movie.”
In its performance, the Indian students and their friends performed a parody of Bollywood romantic comedies in the club’s 10-minute time slot. “As I spent time practicing with the students, I recognized how similar American and Indian culture is. The way Bollywood tells a love story is a lot like how an American chick flick would tell it. I guess cheesy love stories are universal,” he said jokingly.
Maciel continued, “The more I danced and learned about the culture it felt less like practice and more like I was just having a good time. It was great to see how American and Indian cultures coexist so well. What started out as a favor to my friend became a great experience.”
Alyssa Allen, a junior from Colorado majoring in humanities, said she performed at Culture Night to feel like a part of something bigger. Allen performed for both the Hawaiian and Chinese clubs. She previously served a Mandarin-speaking mission in Vancouver, Canada. Allen said she fell in love with the language while serving because it allowed her to communicate better with the Chinese and Taiwanese members in her community.
“I was friends with the club president,” she said. “And I was very impressed with how the students moved and worked together like a well-oiled machine. For the Chinese students, it’s all about perfection, and I really learned this as I practiced with them.
“In Chinese culture, perfection is really important when it comes to performing. We couldn’t even practice on the stage until we all had the dance moves perfectly choreographed. I now feel like one of them after performing.”
Nick Kitchens, a sophomore majoring in business management from California, danced for the Kiribati Club. Kitchens, who served his mission in Kiribati, said, “The culture and performing with them really changed me. I have appreciated the values of family and love. It’s been easier to prioritize the gospel in my life.
“When I focus most on family and charity, I feel the same love I felt from my first exposure to Kiribati culture nearly four years ago.”
Writer: Elijah Hadley