Calkins International Discotheque Spring Dance to be held Thursday
From Bollywood dancing to sushi cuisine, Central Michigan University students will have the opportunity to have a taste of diverse cultures Thursday.
As a semester tradition, the Calkins International Discotheque Spring Dance will take place starting at 9 p.m. in the Calkins terrace lobby.
Calkins Hall Director Cathleen Warner said they put on this dance each semester because it brings people together.
“It is a great opportunity to be interactive with individuals that you may not regularly be able to interact with,” she said. “We are all students here at CMU, and we can all come together and share our diversity, create relationships and friendships.”
The event is a collaborative effort between Calkins’ six residential assistants, individual multicultural advisor and Warner herself.
Midland senior and Calkins RA Emily Wilson said the staff looks forward to putting this event on each semester.
“We want to give residents and all CMU students a cultural experience,” Wilson said. “This lets the international students feel welcome, and lets our residents and other students on campus to experience different cuisines and cultures. It is just a great experience.”
In an effort to make the event as authentic as possible, Calkins Hall will present all cultures through décor, music and food. This includes Indian samosas, Chinese wantons, Japanese sushi rolls, French cream puffs, Korean lettuce wraps, and a traditional American diet of chicken wings, a chocolate fountain and veggies.
“It is really cool to see how people who do not know someone else’s culture gets to have a taste of something new,” Wilson said. “It is just a great experience to see everyone really excited, having a good time dancing together.”
The dance is a three-hour event, ending at midnight. However, in past years, students have been eager to stay past closing time.
Warner said during the fall semester they cut off the music at midnight and people started to sing and dance without it, while insisting on staying.
“This allows everyone to interact and meet with people outside of the classroom,” Warner said. “From an international student perspective they have the chance to meet people in a setting that is different from where they live and their classrooms, and that is the same for Americans. When else do you get the chance to learn a Bollywood dance?”
