International students learn about traditional dance at Coffee Hour

By Ryan Smith

A group of about 30 students met Tuesday afternoon for the International Coffee Hour to watch two international students give a presentation about native dances from their countries.

The first presentation was of a traditional dance from South India called Bharatnatyam. Puthanial Mariappan, a master’s student in electrical engineering, discussed the history of the dance and accompanied the lecture with a demonstration for the audience.

Students also learned about the history of Salsa dancing from Juan Pablo Moncayo, an undergraduate physics student from Ecuador.

The Coffee Hour is a weekly activity conducted by International Student Services and Programs (ISSP) to promote an educational understanding of the many different cultures present in the community.

“ Its main purpose is education,” said Jawad Essadki, Coffee Hour coordinator. “The best way to do this is through first hand experience.”

The International Coffee Hour was created not only for students and faculty, but the entire community he said.

“ It is our hope to educate our entire community, not just the campus community,” Essadki said. “A lot of people forget how rich our campus is with culture.”

The program not only serves as an educational tool, but a social event as well. For many students in attendance Tuesday, it was a chance to meet other people from around the world. Japanese student Miho Takagi, a peer advisor for about 21 other Japanese students, said, “It was good for me to come. It is a good way to meet people in my group that I haven’t seen for a while.”

To promote the International Coffee Hour and other ISSP events, Essadki said that he relies heavily on e-mail. Events calendars are sent to all the international students on campus, as well as faculty, staff and host families.

Next week’s Coffee Hour presentation will be about Venezuela, highlighting its politics, economics and social life.