Unity in Arts
April 18, 2017
Tonight was absolutely wonderful! The University of Oklahoma held one of their many spectacular international events at the Sam Noble Museum— Unity in Arts. This event welcomed the community to join together to dine on cultural cuisine and be entertained by various cultural performances. The purpose, as stated in their ad, was to “celebrate cultural diversity in the arts by highlighting the importance of various art forms and artists”.
My friends and I seated ourselves towards the center, the place where the performers do their thing. At the very start, we were welcomed and introduced to the representatives of the student organizations who made this event possible:
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American Indian Student Association
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Asian American Student Association
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Black Student Association
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Iranian Cultural Association
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Muslim Student Association
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OU Student Government Association
They opened up with live Persian Calligraphy—and yes, it is as pretty as it sounds. The artist’s meticulous strokes were so beautiful and relaxing to watch. He apparently has the highest degree for calligraphy that one can get?!
After calligraphy, it was followed by poetry citing, then the dinner break—yum! We needed to fuel up for the dancing that followed…
There came the “Lion Dance”, a popular cultural dance in China on Chinese New Year. This was fantastic to see live! I bet the people under the dragon costume visited a chiropractor after (their backs had to stay hunched the entire time while dancing intensely and occasionally lifting people into the air).
One highlight of the night was the violin player. He was trained classically since he was 8 years old, but his performance combined dubstep! You had to be there to understand how much fun it was to watch and want to dance around. He got me in the Lindsey Stirling mood.
The Latin American cultural dances came next; this was my favorite part! There were three groups of people, each dressed in a specific costume for various Mexican folk dances. The colors of the attire were so captivating as well as the energetic way the dancers moved their bodies.
Lastly, the Native American group did individual spiritual dances, something that always has me staring in wonder and awe. I love the elaborate attire and how passionate the dances are. The very last dance was the Friendship dance, where everybody got in a circle and marched sideways in a circle.
This night reinforced my love for cultures and the diversity of this world. It was definitely a friend and family friendly event!