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Kangaroos, cooks, and dancers could all be seen roaming Bison Square Thursday afternoon. The occasion? The International Square Fair hosted by Kappa Iota Theta, formerly known as Lipscomb University Multicultural Association (LUMA).
This was the ninth annual International Square Fair held at Lipscomb. This celebration was created to highlight the diversity of our campus and the local community, and is one way for students to celebrate their heritage and learn about other cultures.
Here is a video highlight of the International Square Fair.
International Square Fair 2010 produced by Heather Gleason on Vimeo.
The Love Drums performed first at the fair.
The event lasted from 12 to 4 on Thursday, April 15th. Numerous groups set up booths representing countries such as Italy, Ethiopia, Japan, Germany, Honduras and Madagascar.
Also represented were nonprofit organizations like United Way, Healing Hands International, Italian is Fun and the Metro Human Rights Commission.
A stage set up in front of Alumni Auditorium showcased a wide variety of talent from all different musical styles. The common thread? A cultural heritage distinctly inherent in each group.
The Love Drums opened up with a blend of unique drumming styles from West Africa. They were followed by some of Lipscomb’s own Malagasy students who danced in skirts to a traditional Malagasy song, later dancing to the song “I Like to Move It” which is featured in the movie Madagascar.
The Nashville International Folk Dancers presented dances to a number of Bulgarian, Romanian, and Armenian folk songs. The group got a number of students involved on their last song, a Transylvanian circle dance.
Other student groups followed. Latin Rhythm showcased typical Latin dance to a number of songs, including a Spanish version of “Achy Breaky Heart.” Huckleberry Caulfield and the Mason Jars played some folk tunes like “This Land is Your Land,” and Lipscomb Vice President Danny Taylor joined the group on harmonica.
Nashville International Folk Dancers
“I think bringing together all these people from different places with different thoughts is like bringing together a band,” said Matthew Johnson, a junior finance major from Nashville, Tenn. “A band has all these different instruments, but together they make a great sound.”
Michael Jacobs, a Native-American singer/songwriter, and Diane Distasio, an Italian opera singer, closed out the set.
Lumination correspondent Ashley Gill was also at the fair, and talked to Mallory Haynes, a French major from Roanoke, Va. about this year’s event.
“This is the best international fair yet,” said Haynes. “It is good to promote the community and learn about other countries.
“Seeing how proud people from other cultures are of their heritage is very important.”
Gill also spoke with one of the Latin dancers, Angel Chairez, an international business major from Athens, Texas, about his performance.
“We had a lot of fun performing,” said Chairez. “There were a couple of things that could have gone better, but we did well.
“We had fun because we were able to show everyone a part of who we are.”