On April 4th, Curtis High School hosted their annual Multicultural Night in Feldman Auditorium, which gave students an opportunity to express themselves and take pride in their culture. Every year, the show grows in scale as more ethnic backgrounds are added to the performance. This year particularly, new additions included a community dance, some rhythm-steppers, and a dance from the Newcomers’ Club. The new Caribbean club also joined in on the fun with a dance of their own.
The event commenced with the traditional ‘Parade of Nations’, where students representing each country ran across the stage, respective flags in hand. It was followed by a variety of performances, which ranged from poetry readings to fashion shows. Take for example the Quinceañera and African Student Association’s dress show, where culture was highlighted through the clothing.
Adura Ojo, performed her spoken word poem “United.” This section of the show expanded, however, with the addition of Kailah Lundy-Warner, who performed her own poem and sang an original song she wrote.
The community dance was choreographed by Ms. Tamara Harper, a new physical education teacher. She created the cowboy-themed dance as an ode to her culture: “As an African American from the south, I thought cowboys would best represent my background.” In preparation for the show, she brought teachers and students together by holding workshops for learning the line dance. Ms. Harper is hopeful to continue this next year, and possibly choreograph a hip-hop or jazz-themed dance.
Two members of this year’s Caribbean Club, Chizieere Camara and Calyese Cousins used dance and costumes to showcase their culture. The dance also served as the two seniors’ farewell to the school. Though the club and dance was formed rather last minute, the group was not deterred. Chizieere shared, “we practiced whenever we could get together, like going to the park, we also made new friends and created better bonds.” The dance was largely choreographed by Desiadenyo Campbell, another senior.
Multicultural Night is a highly anticipated one for the community to celebrate the diversity of Curtis. This year saw no small growth in expression and appreciation for the community.
