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Log 1: Celebration of Diversity
Long Log
Dance
On Saturday, Jan. 24, from 6:00-8:00, I attended the show Celebration of Diversity at
Salem High School with my friend Tiffany, also a Humanities student. Celebration of Diversity
is an annual performance with acts by various cultural clubs at our school. Many, though not all,
were ethnic heritage clubs such as the Polish-American club and the Indian American Student
Association. I categorized this event as a Dance Log because there were many dance numbers,
although skits, slideshows, and music were also included. Between each club’s performance, the
Diversity Council presented a short skit or poem about the “isms”—sexism, ageism, and so on. I
chose to attend the show because I love to watch school performances and am always impressed
by what PCEP students are capable of producing. Although I have watched several improv
shows and plays, I don’t think I’ve ever attended Celebration of Diversity before (other than an
in-school performance freshman year that I barely remember).
One thing that I was conscious of the entire time was the audience. Throughout the show,
audience members cheered and hooted loudly in support of the performers. This was especially
true during the Breakdancing Club’s dance, as well as at the beginnings and ends of other
numbers. The club members introducing their own clubs as emcees often had to wait for the
noise to die down before they could start talking, even with microphones. I found this a little
annoying, since I wanted to focus on the dancing, music, and other performances without being
distracted by anything off-stage. I wanted to see each dancer on stage as a dancer only, and
forget for a moment that she was my friend Anna from school. To my surprise, the Celebration
of Diversity performers themselves (watching from the balcony while it wasn’t their turn)
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contributed to a lot of the shouting, so they must not have felt that the audience noise was
detrimental to the show’s quality. I am reminded of our first music large group lecture in
Humanities, when etiquette for classical music concerts (“Don’t move.”) was contrasted with the
eardrum-shattering behavior acceptable at popular music concerts. Celebration of Diversity was
clearly more similar to the popular music concerts—a communal event in which the energy
flowed not only from the stage to the audience, but back from the audience to the stage as well. I
guess this is encompassed by the “Celebration” in “Celebration of Diversity.” It seems that the
planners of the event wanted to make it not only educating but also fun, with a bit of that partylike atmosphere that appeals to us teenagers so much. Perhaps this is the best way to captivate
the attention of the younger generation; I found the noise exasperating, but obviously the kids
making the noise wouldn’t all agree with me.
Overall, I feel that the show did a great job of representing all kinds of diversity—not
only of ethnicity but also of religion (e.g., Muslim Student Assocation) and of sexual orientation
(Gay Straight Alliance). However, not all of the performances seemed up to stage caliber; some
could visibly have been improved with more practice. Maybe I’m being picky because I am a
dancer myself. The Step Team performance, part of the African-American Student Assocation’s
section, appeared the most professional to me. If a single person had clapped or stomped at the
wrong time, it would have been obvious, but I never noticed any mistake like that: everyone was
perfectly synchronized. On the other hand, in another club’s dance, I could see dancers turning
their heads to watch the dancers next to them, having forgotten their own steps. Overall, the
performance was an enjoyable way to spend the evening, but it didn’t create a lasting impression.
I wasn’t sure what to pay attention to; if the emcees had explained what cultural aspects to look
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out for while watching each performance, then the experience would have been more
educational. I’ll remember this while planning my dance group showcase lessons!
Hmmm, I wonder whether the Bible Club was invited? If so, they didn’t show up; I
suspect that the Diversity Council may have neglected to invite them at all, though. After hearing
about Islam through the Muslim Student Association’s performances, I wanted to learn about
other religions as well. Even though Christianity is the majority religion at our school, people do
not always understand their own religion fully. When we studied the Bible in Humanities, I think
that everyone learned about a lot of interesting insights, even my Christian classmates. I attended
Bible Camp as a little kid and am familiar with the main Bible stories, but I never had a clue that
there were two different creation stories in Genesis! The contradiction leads to deeper questions
about the role of women and the status of humankind in comparison with God. I wish that the
Bible Club could have given a presentation that illustrated the depth of meaning in the Bible, just
as our Humanities lessons did. Then, Christianity and Islam (and hopefully other religions that
weren’t represented at the show) could be juxtaposed, and people might see that the two religions
aren’t so different after all. That connection was something that was emphasized in Humanities,
and I believe that emphasizing it in a show like Celebration of Diversity would do a lot to truly
promote diversity.
I also wonder why the entire Asian continent is grouped into one club, the Asian-Pacific
American Club, and why the entire African continent is grouped into the African-American
Student Association. This is in contrast with the clubs involving European heritage, like the
Polish-American Club. I am sure that each country and region within Asia and Africa has a rich,
unique culture of its own. The people living in South Africa probably wouldn’t identify
themselves with those living in Sudan at all. So why are they so often clumped into the category
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“Africa,” with any further divisions glossed over? Maybe it is because most of the student
population is of European heritage, and a European Heritage Club would simply become too big;
on the other hand, the other continents do not require such dividing.
Finally, Tiffany and I wondered about perhaps the biggest question of all: does a show
like this really promote diversity and toleration? Or does it reinforce stereotypes even more by
categorizing and separating people according to their backgrounds? Where is the line between
celebrating differences and alienating people from each other? I’m really not sure, but I think it
depends on the specific nature of the show. A show that only displays the stereotypical dress and
customs of each group would promote discrimination. One that dispels myths about each group
and surprises the audience with lesser-known cultural facts would promote diversity. If the
Diversity Council members organizing the show are conscious of these questions, then they can
take steps to improve the show each year. For example, maybe in the future, seemingly different
clubs can be grouped together and challenged to produce an act that highlights both their
similarities and their unique qualities.
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My daughter, Willa Chen, attended the Celebration of Diversity show at Salem High School on
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009, for two hours. I can be contacted at aaa-aaaa.