Irina Pearson
The winning combination of free food, lively music and dance lessons drew crowds to the World Music Festival at Pierce College.
Despite construction blocking the way to the Great Hall in the Student Community Center, the building was filled with students sampling international foods, getting free henna tattoos and practicing salsa.
“It’s amazing how much support we got from everyone,” said Jocelyn Chan, Associated Students Organization treasurer and president of the International Students Club. “Many students from my club worked late hours and some performers gave us big discounts.”
She said the idea was born when her friend Sarah Tadayon, vice president of the festival, suggested putting together an event that would represent the multicultural background of Pierce.
“Sarah wanted to do something with music,” said Chan, who is majoring in international business. “I wanted to do something with dancing and so we merged the two things together and came up with the festival.”
The festival was brought to Pierce students by the International Students Club in collaboration with the Anthropology Club, Diversity Committee, geography department and ASO, giving them the opportunity to learn new cultures, meet new friends and express themselves in an artistic way.
The event lasted from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and was filled with various dances from Africa, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Brazil.
The sounds of Japanese taiko drums and a mariachi band invigorated the crowded hall, making the audience cheer and jump off their seats.
“This is a very enthusiastic crowd,” said Rev. Tom Kurai, who’s been playing drums most of his life and serves as a Zen Buddhist priest. “People pretty much always go crazy when they hear these drums. I saw taiko when I was 20 and have been involved ever since.”
Ana Zapeda, who is majoring in criminal justice, tried playing taiko under Kurai’s guidance along with several other students.
“I really liked the Japanese performers,” said Zapeda, 25. “My friend told me about this event and I want to stay for the rest of the event to see what else is in store.”
There was plenty of entertainment and great food from all over the world, including Japanese sushi, Persian meats, Chinese desserts, Mexican tamales and other exotic dishes. Drinks were freely available for all attendees.
Open Mic was open for everyone who felt like expressing themselves on stage.
ASO offered an art scholarship contest with awards worth anywhere between $50 to $500, which students could win by submitting one piece of artwork with a world culture theme.
Various paintings, photographs and panels graced the walls of the Great Hall, and a basket with votes from the audience waited to be opened next to the entrance. The results will be known next week.
The corner with henna tattoo artists offering their services free of charge was also very popular. Getting a non-permanent picture or a favorite quote turned out to be an appealing idea for many.
The World Music Festival turned out to be more than a fun event filled with music, dance and great food; students learned about world cultures and the diversity of Pierce, and also met new friends.
“I’m studying Japanese and it was nice to meet someone here who I can practice with,” said Karen Wong, 19, who met another Japanese-speaking student while getting a snow cone. “It’s really a great event.”