Motivated by the desire to take advantage of all opportunities, Jack Moimoi and Delphia Lloyd said they joined multiple clubs in preparation for Culture Night. They said it was difficult to balance school, work, and practices, but they were grateful for the chance to represent cultures other than their own.
Jack Moimoi
Jack Moimoi, a freshman from Fiji studying computer science, smiled as he named the six clubs he performed for during Culture Night. The six clubs were: Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Philippines, Cook Islands and Samoa.
“I thought that as I get older in the education system it would be harder to participate in Culture Night,” Moimoi explained. He originally planned to perform for nine clubs, but some practices clashed with others. Moimoi decided to perform for six clubs instead.
Scheduling played a huge role in his success balancing practices with work and school, Moimoi said. In addition to Culture Night practices, Moimoi had to learn a new dance where he works at the Polynesian Cultural Center. So by sticking to a detailed schedule, he said he made sure he had enough time to rest, do homework and study, and work.
Moimoi said dancing with people from different cultures made him happy. “Seeing them have fun made me have fun during the performance. At the end, I think just seeing all the different cultures come together, because it wasn't all Samoans dancing [for] Samoa, all Fijians dancing [for] Fiji… it was a mix of Americans, Fijians, Mexicans and every different culture in BYUH dancing in different [clubs]. You could see everyone coming together and being united.”
Being surrounded by good friends helped Moimoi as well. He explained, “[My friends] were the ones who actually helped me practice the dances when I had to go to a different chapter to practice. I would ask them to help me catch up on what the other chapter did that I missed.”
Melita Matanatabu, a junior from Fiji studying social work, said Moimoi is a fast learner and a very enthusiastic person. “When you’re with Jack, you can just laugh all day long. Even when he sees that you’re sad, he’ll try some way to cheer you up,” she said.
Moimoi added, “Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm like, ‘How is it even possible?’ I did all these with all these workloads. If you think about it every second of the day and plan it out, it actually is possible.”
Delphia Lloyd
Inspired by the variety of cultures around her, Lloyd, a sophomore from Idaho studying hospitality and tourism management, said she performed for four clubs during Culture Night: Samoa, New Zealand, Philippines and Hip Hop.
Knowing she only had a few chances of performing in Culture Night, Lloyd said she decided to join as many clubs as she could. Samoa and New Zealand were at the top of her list of clubs to join because it’s her cultural background. “I wanted to represent my granddad and my nana and dedicate my performance to them,” she said.
Lloyd said praying before every practice was one of her favorite things to do while preparing for Culture Night. On the night of the performance, Lloyd explained the New Zealand Club dedicated its performance to those affected by the recent shootings in Christchurch.
“I was standing there, and I was just praying, asking Heavenly Father to help me represent my nana and my mom. Also represent all the Kiwis who were hurt, and I felt that in their performance. The spirit I felt was the strongest in all my experience,” she said.
Before the practice for Samoa, Lloyd found herself asking for her grandfather’s guidance when she performed. “I didn't realize until after, but in the Samoan practice I smiled so much, and I could not stop screaming. I felt so much energy, and I felt him with me. I knew that I made him proud,” she explained.
Lloyd said she was unsure about joining the Philippines Club. However once she started coming to its practices, she found herself loving it. “Learning about other cultures was so beautiful to me.”
Duane John Pigao, a sophomore from the Philippines studying marketing, said it was easy to teach Lloyd the traditional dances because she was a good dancer. Lloyd danced the “Bulaklakan,” which Pigao described as celebrating flowers and its life. He said, “Delphia really portrayed that [when she] danced.”
Balancing practices and learning choreography was the biggest challenge Lloyd said she faced when preparing for Culture Night. She had to attend one club’s practice for an hour then run off to the other club’s practice since many practiced at the same time.
Lloyd said she learned how to prioritize and not give up during the two months of practices for Culture Night. She said, “During Culture Night I messed up. There were some moves I did not even know because I wasn't able to go to all practices all the time. But I learned to go out there and just have confidence in the things you can do and then have fun.”
Writer: Esther Insigne