Culturs Cabaret showcases SU’s cultural diversity through musical performances

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Sahana Anand flowed through the movements of a fusion dance incorporating elements of Bharatanatyam and various other dances on Thursday. Her yellow skirt spun outwards toward the cheering crowd at the “Culturs Cabaret” hosted at Syracuse University’s Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium.

“We wanted to help build a platform where people from different cultures could come together and showcase their talents and share a bit about their cultural backgrounds,” said Arshia Pramod, the chief financial officer of the event and a SU senior.

The cabaret was one event of a larger, ongoing “Take a Peek…In Between!” campaign, an initiative promoting students of multicultural backgrounds. A group of six students from the Newhouse School of Public Communications created the campaign as part of PRL 425, a year-long capstone class. Starting in early February, the campaign’s last event, a Filipino food truck stationed outside Newhouse, is Monday.

The group’s work wasn’t limited to SU as it was part of the larger Bateman Case Study, a competition that challenges public relations students at nearly 30 universities to implement a campaign for Culturs Magazine. The magazine, founded in 2014, is focused on inclusivity as well as issues pertaining to multiculturalism.

The “Take a Peek… In Between” campaign, and more largely Culturs Magazine, highlights individuals who fit into the cultural “in-between” because of their multiple homes or cultural identities, said Hayley Ipsaro, an SU senior involved with the initiative.

Thursday’s event hosted performances including Bollywood dances, fusion dances, kung fu, various a cappella groups and other song and dance acts. At the end of the two-hour show, the audience voted for first, second and third place.

Ipsaro said the purpose of the event was to have Syracuse students, faculty and staff attend an event showcasing cultural talents that people are not frequently given the opportunity to see.

“We want to challenge people to take a look from a new perspective, appreciate these diverse backgrounds that so many people share and show them what cultural diversity can look like,” Ipsaro said.

Pramod said that beyond representing the views of Culturs Magazine, the event sought to reach international and multicultural students on campus who may feel out of place, garnering a sense of community.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of other people who have struggled to find their own community or meet people who share the same values and celebrate the same holidays and experiences,” she said.

The group worked on researching and creating the initiative during the fall semester. Together, they agreed on showcasing three relevant aspects of culture: music, food and sports.

Pramod said that the “Take a Peek…In Between!” campaign intended to teach students the value of other cultures that they could not find just reading something on the internet.

Anand thought that, with the audience being mostly not Indian, she wouldn’t place. However, she said viewers were receptive and able to appreciate the beauty of the style of dance. Anand placed third.

“I love to perform. I love to share,” she said. “I love to talk to the audience through what I am doing, I want them to feel something and I saw some faces that were appreciative so that meant a lot to me.”