Diverse groups create unity in UMC show

In a jubilant celebration of culture and diversity, a host of performance groups came together in Irvine Auditorium on Friday night as part of UNISUN 2000. The free multicultural show was the featured event of Unity Week 2000 and was meant to highlight the diverse talents and cultures at Penn and in Philadelphia. Performers included a cappella group Penn Masala, dance troupe PENNaach and a local group of break dancers. The size of the audience fluctuated during the night, and at its largest, included about 400 students. "[The show] is a good way to see a lot of groups you wouldn't have seen otherwise," said audience member Prajakta Nadkarni, a College junior. "You realize how diverse Penn really is." Unity Week, which began on November 11 and ended last night, is the United Minorities Council's annual fall celebration of Penn's diversity. "Unity Week is intended to showcase some of the cultures Penn has to offer," College senior and UMC Chairman Jerome Byam explained as he and fellow emcee College senior Cassandra Georges introduced Friday's show. Over the course of the performance -- which lasted nearly three hours -- a total of 16 different acts took the stage, most of which centered around singing or dancing. Several student cultural organizations performed. PENNaach, a South Asian all-female dance troupe, was the first group to take the stage. And a number of other groups also danced, including Onda Latina, the Penn Philippine Association and the Caribbean Students Association. Three a cappella groups had a chance to show off their vocal abilities. Penn Masala, an all-male group, sang in English and Hindi, as did Penn Atma, an Indian women's group. Full Measure, a Christian ensemble, also performed. Individual students took the stage as well. Qi Cao, an Engineering junior, played the Gu jen, a traditional Chinese musical instrument. And College junior Jason Hsi demonstrated his skills with the Chinese yo-yo. Groups from the Philadelphia area also contributed to Friday's show. Native Nations, a local Native American dance troupe, performed various traditional numbers. And Da Fresh On Beats -- a group of break dancers from Penn, Drexel University and Philadelphia -- showed off their abilities. "I wasn't expecting them at all," College junior Afia Ofori-Mensa said of the break dancers. "They were incredible." And a Korean-American troupe, Sori-Mori, offered a presentation of the traditional Korean folk art known as P'ungul, which centered around drumming. UMC Programming tri-Chair and College sophomore Anita Sreedhar felt that the event was a success. "It was a great show," she said. "As far as I could tell, everyone was having a good time, both onstage and off."

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