By Virginia Zantow

Daily Staff Writer

ISU students showcased their cultural pride and heritage Saturday night with a display of lions, fashion and dance.

A small crowd gathered in the Durham Great Hall of the Memorial Union to sample a handful of different cultures at the third annual Global Gala, sponsored by the Student Union Board Multicultural Committee.

Erica Ott, graduate student in educational leadership and policy studies and adviser to the Student Union Board Multicultural Committee, said the purpose of the event was to educate and entertain students while bringing in elements of different cultures.

The Guang Hua Lion Dance Troupe, a group within the Association of Malaysian Students, opened the evening’s celebrations.

The troupe’s dance involved two large lion headpieces, which students in the troupe danced with to the beat of a large drum and cymbals.

Oliver Chua, senior in industrial engineering and vice captain of the troupe, said the dance is traditionally done in Malaysia, China and other countries during opening ceremonies to “ward away bad spirits and bring good luck to the event.”

“It’s very fulfilling for us [to perform] because, in Malaysia, we are spectators,” Chua said. “We usually watch the professionals do it.”

The ISU chapter of Sigma Lambda Gamma, a multicultural sorority, followed the dance troupe with “strolling,” a kind of dancing in which dancers follow a leader in a moving line.

“It’s a unity dance between sisters in a sorority just to show our pride in our sorority,” said Chavel Aron, junior in Spanish and member of the sorority.

After Sigma Lambda Gamma’s dance, the African Students Association gave an educational presentation about African stereotypes and how they compare with reality, followed by a brief fashion show.

Babatunde Agbaje, senior in family finance, housing and policy and president of ASA, told the audience he wanted to show them a view of Africa that is different from what the mass media generally present.

Agbaje showed some photographs of what he said were stereotypical African images of mud or thatched huts and said a lot of Africa is actually not like what was portrayed in the photos. He then showed images of modern buildings and transportation and said those images gave a more accurate representation of Africa.

“I just don’t like the way the media portrays Africa as this Third World continent where we’re a primitive people,” Agbaje said after the presentation.

He said those perceptions of Africa cause people to treat Africans as primitive.

Agbaje, who hails from Nigeria, said Africa is “a mixture of the old and the new.” After his short presentation, some ASA students put on a show of traditional and everyday African fashions.

The evening ended with Geoffrey Spain, graduate student-undeclared, teaching the audience Latin dance moves, followed by Memorial Union Workspace belly-dancing teacher Lisa Rich-McKelvey leading some of her students in belly dancing.

Spain showed the audience some simple Latin steps for singles and partners. Ryan Alley, senior in music, said he participated in the dancing because his girlfriend enjoyed it.

“I actually thought it was really good, which is nice because I was skeptical about it,” Alley said.

He said he appreciated how Spain showed each move step by step.

Jessie Uitermark, sophomore in communications studies, said her favorite part of the evening was the belly dancing.

Rich-McKelvey, who goes by the name “Shiara” as a dancer, said she originally got involved in belly dancing through an advertisement 15 years ago.

“You either really love it and it becomes a part of what you do, or it’s just something you try once and find interesting,” she said.

She said belly dancing is a feature of weddings and celebrations across the Middle East, especially in Egypt, Turkey and Greece.

Zaneta Jones, freshman in pre-architecture, said she wished more people had attended the Global Gala. She said she thought the event was a good idea.

“I think there should be more events like this one,” said Jones. “[The event] lets the university promote its many cultures.”