International fest features dancers, food

Over 150 people attended an international festival in the High Rise East rooftop lounge Sunday night, featuring dance groups and cuisine from four different regions of the world. An African dance troupe from Motion Studios, whose six members ranged in age from five to 16 years old, performed the African Challenge Bell Dance in which the dancers try to imitate the leader's actions. The group worked on the bell dance for about three months, their instructor, Ione Nash, said. Ayalah, the University's Israeli student dance group, performed a series of five numbers. The first, Al Hanissim, come from the Hebrew for "upon the miracles." The name is derived from one of the prayers said on Hannukah. The South Asia Society's dance group also staged a performance of Sun Le Ye Zamana. Members of the dance group said the name translates to "Hear Our Love." South Asia Society dancer and College sophomore Nehal Patel felt the festival was a good way to increase student's knowledge of other cultures. "The festival increases students' awareness," Patel said. South Asia Society dancer and College sophomore Seema Venkatachalam agreed. "It is exciting that students are trying to keep up with their culture by performing and watching these dances," she said. The final group, the Polish Folk Dancers, performed four distinct pieces from various regions in Poland. The group, which is originally from Chicago, has been performing for 21 years and travels around the country. Group members said they visit Poland every few years to study with local village groups and to study Polish folk dancing. Geoffrey Selling, a member of the Polish dance group, said he enjoys international festivals such as these. "It gives the dance community a chance to see each other," Selling said. "It's inspiring." Christine Weisel, another dancer, said she believes that the large turnout for the festival indicates that students want to learn about different cultures. "It's good to know that people are interested in cultural and ethnic studies," she said. The dances were followed by an international dinner including food from four local restaurants. High Rise East Resident Advisor Martin Muoto, a Wharton and College senior said the "celebration of cultures" was a success. "It was amazing," Wharton and College senior Muoto said. "I didn't expect it to be so good. The theme was diversity and we wanted people to see the different sides of culture and diversity. I think everybody enjoyed it." Many students said the events was both educational and interesting to watch. "The festival was really enjoyable," College sophomore Sheila Pasupathy said. "The variety was good. I didn't expect it to be so entertaining." The event was sponsored by the resident advisors and managers of High Rise East, the International Students Association, and International Programs.