the bhsdide U The Michigan DailyI michigandailycomI Thursday, January12, 2012 -RYBODY D ANCE N 'U' student groups keep diversity in motion - Proma Khosla, Daily Arts Writer - Diversity It's one of the most recurring words in the University's literature. It's a word thrown around in promotional pamphlets or for applicants to define in their admissions essays. The 'U' is home to students from all walks of life, but be- yond basic demographics, where is this represented? On campus, as in the world at large, one of the most prominent mani- festations of cultural diversity is in the arts - in this case, dance. "People who are from all over can enjoy this one type of ac- tivity," said LSA junior Jackie Davis, of the Arabian Dance En- semble. "It's not limited to a certain type of people ... and we get to show off that kind of dance that people aren't usually exposed to and we can show them how cool it is.n While history books and classes can educate people about culture, dance is a firsthand way of immersing oneself in those worlds. Dozens of teams at the 'U' perform and compete, each as distinct and varied as steps in a dance. SHUFFLE, BALL CHANGE As of 2000, RhythM Tap Ensemble has been the foremost tap dance group on campus. It's one of the core groups for Dance Mix, an event that showcases different teams' dancing near the end of each winter term. "I think Dance Mix is probably the best show on campus for dance because we try to ... include a lot of variety and diversity in the show in terms of different dance styles," LSA senior and RhythM president Chelsea Kimball said. "I think that we try to show the audience something new every year." Since tap requires precision with complex footwork, most RhythM members have prior tap experience. "There are people who have tapped every day since they were three and there are some people, like me, who stopped tapping once they were in high school and picked it back up in college," Kimball said. "So most people have had tap experience but everyone has their different levels of experience.' Though tap is a commonly known style of dance, RhythM dancers keep it fresh for audiences, introducing new genera- tions to the world of tap dance. This includes guest perfor- mances with groups like Impact, which fuses popular American dance styles, and the lyrical ballet group, Salto. RhythM also performs full-fledged collaborative pieceswith fusion group PURE Dance Xtreme in the annual PureRhythM show. RhythM performs with other groups in the show, while PURE simultaneously performs in a more noticeably lyrical style. RhythM also collaborated with musical group Groove last semester. "That was also really cool because tap dance fits pretty well with percussion," Kimball said. The collaborations are among Kimball's favorite things about RhythM, and in her opinion, the main thing that sets it apart from other groups. "Our numbers with PURE are ... something that we try to always keep in the show," she said. "I think it's important and I think the audience enjoys it too because it's something differ- ent. It's not the same type of number (that people)see from both of us individually." "You have to make some compromises to incorporate both styles," Kimball added. "There are some things that you can't do in tap shoes and some things that the PURE dancers can't do. It's kind of a blend." Dance represents a constant to many students involved in campus dance organizations. According to Kimball, it remains a priority to RhythM members as they choreograph and contrib- ute song ideas together. "I think dance took up most of the girls on our team's lives before coming to college, but I think it's still a huge part of ev- "People who are from all over can enjoy this one type of activity. It's not limited to a certain type of people." Jackie Davis, LSA junior eryone's life," Kimball explained. "There are a couple girls on the team who still teach regularly at their dance studios that they used to go to. For others of us, we only do the RhythM practices and performances, but it's still a big part of our college experience as well!' See DANCE, Page 3B DESIGN BY CAMERON BOTHNER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAILY STAFF -I wekend essentials F MUSIC Ah bluegrass: that quintessential American musical genre, in which fiddle, banjo and mandolin intertwine. Take the time to journey to The Ark on Main Street at 8 p.m. tomorrow to hear Mountain Heart, a bluegrass band that pays homage to previous greats and knows how to give the music of the South a true home here in Ann Arbor. Tickets from $30. FILM A foreign import is invading the Michigan Theater this Saturday: Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "Welt am Draht," or "World on a Wire." Influenced by Kubrick, Vonnegut and Phillip K. Dick, this three-and-a-half-hour sci-fi epic has only recently been made publicly available. For a night of supercomputers, simulations and cybernetic conspiracies, swing by at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10. MUSIC Vusi Mahlasela, aka "The Voice," hails from South Africa and will grace UMMA tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. He performed at Nelson Mandela's 1994 inauguration and now he's here in Ann Arbor. With music that addresses social issues like apartheid, audiences will be reminded of the importance of the arts in the struggle for human right . Admission is free.