The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) hosted a cultural talent showcase Nov. 16 in the University Centre atrium as part of Mosaic, a two-week international and cultural campaign on campus.
Following the organization’s BIPOC job fair, the showcase was held on day three of Mosaic and was emceed by Faris Riazudden, CUSA vice-president (student issues) and the event’s organizer. CUSA co-hosted the showcase with some of Carleton’s international student clubs.
“We want to celebrate diversity and foster the diverse communities at Carleton,” Riazudden said. “We want to provide more than just a physical platform for students to feel seen and represented.”
The showcase opened with an energetic performance by Japanese drumming group Oto-Wa Taiko. Founded in 1989, the group has been performing at events and schools for 33 years.
Oto-Wa means ‘sound and harmony,’ and Taiko is a traditional Japanese drum. The performance incorporated traditional masks—an element of Japanese festival culture—with a masked drummer cheekily interacting with the audience.
Tomomi Sakajiri is the president of Oto-Wa Taiko and has been performing with the group since 2003.
“[Taiko] is a combination of music and martial-arts-like movement,” Sakajiri said. “We pay attention to each motion so that it’s visually interesting. Through movement and sound, we want to convey energy and receive energy from the audience.”
Up next were musical performances by Carleton students, including a cover of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” by Samuel Olaitah, a first-year criminology student from Nigeria.
The showcase also featured Indian cultural performances with two Bollywood dance medleys.
Stacy Bardeskar and Yogytha Shangari are the founders of dance company Dance with Yogs and Stace. Both are Indian international students who graduated with a masters of engineering from the University of Ottawa. Bardeskar and Shangari credited Canada’s “multiculturalism” for bringing their shared passion for dance to the stage.
“We are both very passionate about Bollywood music because it brings a happy vibe everywhere we go,” Bardeskar said. “We knew that the crowd tonight was going to be people from different cultures who may not understand the lyrics, so we thought of bringing a medley of good beats, so that everyone can enjoy.”
Members of the North American Alliance of Indian Students (NAAIS) Carleton performed the final number of the showcase, also dancing to a medley of popular Bollywood music.
The NAAIS group, which was too large for the stage, ended the night with a performance under the world flags displayed on the atrium ceiling.
All the dancers were Indian international students and said they appreciated having the opportunity to share their culture.
“I feel very seen. Just being able to express my culture … to people from different parts of the world … it feels like I’m sharing a bit of myself to everybody,” NAAIS member and third-year architecture student Devasri Baxi said.
Featured image by Tayssir Benchoubane.
