Diversity Calendar

November 19, 2009 at 4:54 am (PRCA 3333) (PRCA 3333)

     The event I choose to attend on Georgia Southern’s Diversity calendar was the international talent show. The show took place at the Russell Union Rotunda. The time that I was at the show the audience was not that large. However, the spectators were made up of college students of different races. There were performances that included a Spanish dance group, and a Jamaican music band. There were also booths set up around the stage. One booth sold authentic Latin cuisine, which featured rice and beans, different types of meat, and a dessert. The other booth was selling flags from different countries including, Jamaica, and Barbados flags.

     I thought that the performances did accurately portray the culture they were representing. The Jamaican band sounded almost identical to the music I heard when I took a cruise that went to Jamaican. The Latin performers were dressed in authentic costumes. The women wore brightly colorful dresses which spun out as the twirled. They used the dresses they wore to show movement with the music. The female performers were also wearing headpieces made with ribbons and flowers. The male dancers were wearing traditional bull fighting outfits, with a decorative sombrero. The hats they wore reminded me of the ones that hang on the walls as decoration in Mexican restaurants. As I watched the dancers perform I noted that the male dancers had taken colorful rainbow blankets and were dancing with them as well. Like the sombreros used as decorations in restaurants, I have also seen blankets similar to the ones they were dancing with hung on walls also. I always assumed that the only purpose of these blankets were for warmth. I was surprised to see that in their culture, they use them to dance with also.

     Compared to American talent shows, I preferred the International one. It seemed like the performers were just enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was non-competitive. I think that the majority of American talent shows are focused around a competition and who is better than the rest. It was refreshing to see people performing just for fun.

     I would definitely be interested in attending any future events similar to this one. I enjoyed the entertainment along with good food. I felt very comfortable in the atmosphere I was at, I felt like the performers were welcoming me by showing me a little bit of their heritage. I thought that the event was a success because it provided and easily accessible way for GSU students to see a little bit from cultures other than our own.