Spring is here and with that come cultural events ripe for the picking on campus. The promotion of culture shows as a part of this week’s WorldFest reminds me of how much I enjoyed the Samahang Pilipino Culture show I attended last spring. I admit my initial motivation in attending the show was to see my favorite UCLA dance group, Samahang Modern, but I was also excited by the opportunity to attend my first culture show on campus.
As I entered Royce Hall that Saturday afternoon, I found myself immersed among the excited family and friends of the performers. As we took our seats and I glanced around the hall I was slightly surprised. I was one of the few non-Filipino attendees.
At a school that champions diversity among its students, it was surprising how few non-Filipinos were in attendance. We are lucky to have students with unique upbringings living with and around us, but for some reason this hadn’t convinced a large number of students to make the effort to attend the culture show. Very few universities in the country have the type of range in student population that UCLA has, and as such, Bruins should make the most of the opportunities culture shows afford.
Even though most students are chronically over-involved and spring quarter can be a busy time for all students wrapping up year-long activities, it is also the perfect time to take advantage of the educational entertainment so many of the culturally based clubs on campus have to offer.
WorldFest, sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Commission, occurred this week, involving a number of events aimed at getting people more interested in other cultures. As a part of the festivities, advertisements for upcoming culture shows have been lining Bruin Walk, making it difficult for students to come up with an excuse for not knowing about or attending the events.
As the show began I was astounded at the level of performance within every act. I was impressed by the amount of time and energy that was put into their fluid presentation. What I enjoyed the most was that when the final curtain drew, I realized there was so much more to Filipino culture than my initial reason for coming ““ Samahang Modern ““ had let on. The show was not only new and interesting to me, but was highly entertaining.
As we enter UCLA as freshmen, most students are anxious about how they will fit into such a vast student population. Most students get involved in what feels comfortable to them ““ a continuation of high school activities, a religious organization or perhaps a cultural club. While most Bruins enjoy connecting with other students who’ve shared their past experiences or interests, we can become segregated into our own little social circles and miss out on the unique and enriching experience that connecting with students unlike ourselves has to offer.
Anthony Simone, a second-year neuroscience student, has gotten involved in the Latin American Student Association even though he is part Italian and Egyptian.
“It doesn’t matter what I am genetically, I’m interested in the culture,” he said. “I believe you won’t have any opportunity like you have at UCLA to explore different cultures.”
Simone will participate at this Saturday’s 10th annual Festival Latino sponsored by the LASA in Wilson Plaza. At the event there will be food, performances, salsa dancing and much more. This show is only one of the many culture shows that will be held this spring quarter. Culture shows advertised by WorldFest include the upcoming Jazz/Reggae Festival, Indian Student Union Culture Show, United Arab Culture show and Samahang Pilipino Culture Night.
Though attending a culture show by no means will bring absolute understanding of a culture to an outsider, it can provide a way for students from other backgrounds to connect and enjoy the things we all have in common ““ music, dance, comedy and drama.
“As UCLA is situated in L.A., there are a lot of Iranian stores and Iranian people around, but to see the Iranian culture from an “˜insider’s perspective,’ so to speak, is certainly worthwhile. In one show, you can see both the more serious Iranian traditions as well as the little jokes Iranians like to poke at themselves,” said Shirin Oloumi, a Class of 2007 alumna who was actively involved in the Iranian Student Group culture show during her time at UCLA.
These shows are usually manageable in length and can be a fun activity to do before you head out for your weekend festivities.
Even though the abundance of events on campus can be overwhelming, don’t let that discourage you from making culture shows a priority this spring quarter.
Can’t dance like Samahang but eager to step out and head to culture nights? Contact Mier at smier@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.