This year's Cultural Outreach, presented by the Trent International Students Association, was held at Showplace Theatre on March 5. The theme of the show was “Where the World Lives Together,” in conjunction with the TISA motto of “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges, Connecting Cultures.”
The show was organized into a sequence of an imaginary campus tour of Trent, with a tour guide, parents and a prospective student. The 'tour' kicked off at Blackburn Hall, and the first performance of the day was a belly dancing performance entitled “Desert Rose.” The movements on display were sensuous and fiery, featuring exquisite Middle Eastern traditional dresses and a bongo solo at the end that had the audience clapping to the beat with excitement.
Next on the order was “Ama Zim Zim,” a traditional dance from Zimbabwe given a modern twist by the performers. This high tempo performance definitely raised the energy by a few levels. Then the TISA Choir took to the stage, singing Toto's (NOT Karl Wolf's) hit song “Africa” in an acapella-beatbox-body percussion style. The presentation was similar to Perpetuum Jazzile's performance of the same song, with ten million views on YouTube. Nevertheless, I was humming “...Gonna take a lot to drag me awayyy from youuu,” long after my girlfriend and I left Showplace, much to her annoyance.
“Chutney Soca” was next, as the 'tour' arrived at Lady Eaton College, a showcase of the Indian subculture of the Caribbean, fusing Soca elements with Hindi and English music. The dance was upbeat with the performers swapping their long skirts for daisy dukes midway through, as they turned up the heat in the room with their moves.
Fusion then gave way to classical-traditional, as the audience were treated to a Nepalese traditional dance. The elaborate costumes and well-choreographed moves were well-received. As the 'tour' moved to Champlain College, Trent's Hong Kong International Association then presented a unique performance of Hong Kong musical culture from the '60s through the '80s, early '90s, and the present day. The colour and extravagance display reflected the cosmopolitan nature of the city-state.
Then came the Ultimate South Asian Dance-off, a performance showcasing Bhangra, Bollywood, Tamil and Garba dances fusing them with modern beats and moves. There were some excellent mixes in this performance, and had a CD been available to purchase the music, I would have gladly picked one up.
After the intermission, the ever-popular Gumboot dance restarted things, and immediately the audience was back on cue with applause, and letting the rhythm flow. A solo performance entitled “K-Pop” followed, with the dancer displaying very liquid moves that definitely earned him cheers at the end.
With the tour now at Gzowski, Trent's Latin Hispanic community provided a snapshot of Latin American culture and dance. Preceding each dance with a skit of a confused tourist looking for the 'real' Latin America, four dance-styles were showcased: Bachata, Salsa, Merengue and Reggaeton.
“Toire no kamisama,” which translates into “Goddess in the Toilet,” was next, with a solo rendition of this Japanese song of a young girl finding herself through difficult circumstances. The microphone was left turned off for half the song, which meant that most of the audience missed out on a heartfelt display. Having stopped the performance after realizing this technical error, the microphone was duly replaced, and the singer brushed it off to belt out the song just as well a second time, almost effortlessly.
Blessings, a South African virtuoso opera singer, then belted out an opera piece that had the audience absolutely awestruck by his vocals. “The Latin Swing” followed, with a salsa routine presenting various partner and solo steps in the performance accompanied by contemporary music.
The DNA building was the last stop on the 'tour' and the second last performance, “South Asian Fusion” was perhaps the standout presentation of the afternoon, both for its length and for the amount of people in the audience left in stitches. It featured three students, travelling around South Asia to learn about its vast culture and some of the many dance styles that originate there, accompanied by a troupe of dancers. They end their travels at Trent, and performed a 'Trent' fusion. The three protagonists were clearly a hit with the audience, and deservedly so.
Finally, Cultural Outreach ended with “Living Massacre,” a dance that mixed urban hip hop with dancehall. Here, I would question the decision to end what was otherwise a fairly upbeat-themed show with a sombre presentation. Cool and slick though it was, it may have been better suited taking place before the intermission. The moves were good though, and the rap tracks chosen were contextually perfect.
Real joy and dedication were clearly apparent in every performer onstage. Here were ordinary students, putting in time and immense effort to produce a showcase of global culture, not just their own, and producing it very well.
