12B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - Thursday, January 15, 2004
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Show 'Encompasses'
cultural exchange
Members of the all male segment of "ARABesque" practice during dress rehearsals on Sunday.
By Elise Bergman
Daily Arts Writer
Last Sunday afternoon, dozens of
students, spirited and costumed,
rehearsed in the Pendleton Room on
the second floor in
the Michigan
Union. Dancers Encompass:
and organizers Sol Omnibus
bustled around the Lucit (The
room and trickled Sun Shines
into the hallways, U
running through Upon All)
last-minute alter- Tonight at 7:30
ations to dance $8 at MUTO
routines, making $10 at the Door
changes to music The Power Center
selections, record-
ing lighting cues
and mentally preparing themselves
for the upcoming show.
Tonight, months of extensive plan-
ning, collaborating and rehearsing
will come to a celebratory finale as
the annual Encompass Multicultural
Show takes place at the Power
Center.
The spacious room, where the dress
rehearsals were being held, radiated
with color as one group of students,
calling themselves "ARABesque,"
danced proudly and joyfully, dressed
in black and fire engine red.
The makeshift stage quickly tran-
sitioned as the line dancers accompa-
nied by jovial Arabic tunes made
their way out of the room.
The stereo then played an airy and
serene song as six young women,
decorated in lavender Hawaiian-print
dresses, positioned themselves
between the masking tape that was
used to dictate the edge of the per-
formance space.
Four pairs of dancers in a group
called "Salsation" elegantly and rap-
idly dipped, spun and rotated their
legs around the dance floor as the
black frills of the ladies' elegant cos-
tumes accentuated the swiveling of
their hips. I
One group after another per-
formed number after number of con-
trasting movements to distinctive
songs. Tonight's show will feature
other performances such as Greek,
Vietnamese and Persian dances as
well as Korean drumming, hip-hop,
poetry and jazz.
Encompass annually organizes the
University's only pan-ethnic cultural
show and makes an expansive pro-
gression from last year's sold out
event at Lydia Mendelssohn Theater
in the Michigan League. This year's
performance, entitled "Sol Omnibus
Lucit (The Sun Shines Upon All)"
will host a larger audience at the
Power Center.
"This year seems bigger and more
structured. It is a big jump from.
Mendelssohn," said Engineering
sophomore Saada Jawad.
This variety show of sorts is one
collection of students' attempts to
expose the University to the multi-
faceted culture and tradition of the
diverse campus. A goal of this event"
is to develop a forum that invites all
types of individuals and groups to
express their thoughts and cultures
in an informative, nurturing and
comfortable environment.
"By coming to the show, we hope
people will be inspired to want to
meet new kinds of people, learn
about different cultures and join
diverse programs around campus,"
stated Encompass co-president and
LSA sophomore Jacqueline Wood.
The primary objective of
Encompass is to facilitate unity and
awareness in the University's often
segregated student body.
Encompass' mission and vision
statements are deeply rooted in its
desire to create an interactive har-
mony among the races represented at
the University.
"One of our goals is to have 50
percent of each dance include a par-
ticipant of a different race or culture
than the culture the dance derives
from," said Encompass co-president
and LSA senior Julia Milne.
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ELISE BERGMAN/Daily
Hawaiian dance participants spread out in neat formations around the make-shift
dance floor.
Michigan Union Ballroom