Artists of all kinds celebrated the diversity of the UA and Tucson community on Thursday night at the 10th annual ONE Love Multicultural Showcase.
The purpose of the event was to promote multiculturalism on campus and in the community. Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority Inc. hosted the showcase, which featured 15 different performances.
“There’s a bigger world outside of what we’re used to seeing,” said Sarah Ahmed, a physiology senior and member of Alpha Phi Gamma, an Asian interest sorority.
The showcase was meant to provide an opportunity for students to become more aware of the wide array of cultures and organizations that thrive in the Tucson community, not raise funds, said Marina Shalabi, a political science junior and treasurer of Theta Nu Xi.
The show began with a performance by Om Shanti, the UA’s first competitive Bollywood dance group. Wearing costumes of blue and silver sequins, the dancers twirled, jumped and somersaulted across the stage to the pulse of Indian music.
Up next were a poetry slam, traditional Mexican folk dance and a performance by Reveille Men’s Chorus. The choir of 10 appeared on stage dressed as nuns and sang the 1960s hit “I Will Follow Him.”
The first act culminated in a performance by the Seven Pipers Band, which paraded down the aisles wearing traditional Scottish garb and playing bagpipes.
After intermission, Comedy Corner entertained the audience with a debate on the integrity of shish kebabs. CatCall, a men’s a cappella group established on campus in 2008, followed with renditions of contemporary pop songs. Afterward, Desert Petals Belly Dance Troupe and the UA’s hip-hop crew, Black N’ Blue, also showcased their talents.
“We love to reach out to multicultural events,” said Black N’ Blue President Jamie Calvert, a senior studying public health and nursing. “I think it (the showcase) shows people that no matter your ethnicity, you’re loved and you’re part of this community.”
At the end of the showcase, members of Greek Life came together on the stage and sang a song about unity.
The showcase gave multicultural greek organizations the opportunity to come together to reach out to the community, said Erica Aguirre, a public health junior and member of Theta Nu Xi. According to Aguirre, these particular fraternities and sororities are all-embracing, promoting diversity of gender, ethnicity, sexuality and culture.
“It’s our night,” she said. “It’s our night for us to be celebrated and to be recognized.”