Category: Arts & Entertainment

A Celebration of Culture

by Aishani Chauhan ’22

A key distinguishing factor that sets Wyoming Seminary apart from other schools is the cultural and ethnic diversity found within the Sem community.  Eighteen different countries and twenty different states are represented by international and day students. Each school year, students from around the world come together on Sem’s campus to have an enriched learning experience.  One way in which the Sem community celebrates and showcases the culture and talents of the international student body is through the annual International Assembly. This year’s assembly, held on April 16, 2018, did not fail to impress.

The flag bearing ceremony initiated the assembly; students elected by their peers to represent their country walked on the KCCA stage with their respective country’s flag, and said “hello” in the language native to their country.  However, the most anticipated pieces of the program were the performances and presentations delivered by groups of students from various countries such as Argentina, China, the Czech Republic, Taiwan, India, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Vietnam, and many more.

Some countries represented themselves through visual presentations.  Malen Visnuk ‘19 of Argentina shared a beautiful video about Argentina that displayed the contrasting natural landscapes from hot beaches and salt plains to snowy mountains and glaciers. Mina Exernova ‘20 of the Czech Republic shared a video of that displayed the splendor of gothic architecture found in the Czech Republic.  Students from China created their own video that entertained the school, and highlighted the different towns and cities of China where they are from, as well as their delicious cuisine.

Other countries represented themselves through vocal or dance performances.  Aishani Chauhan ‘20 and Ally Sayed ‘21 represented India through a Bollywood fusion dance to the Carnatic remix of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”.  Their dance included precise and technical elements of classical Indian dance forms such as Bharatanatyam and Kathak, stylized with a more modern Bollywood flavor.  A group of talented students from Vietnam danced to multiple songs with passion and artistry. Quinn Nguyen, Alex Nguyen, Bach Nguyen, An Nguyen, Tommy Dang, Hieu Ngo, Kien Phan, and Huy Le represented Vietnam. They danced to “Baby I Told You”, “Anh Xin Lỗi Em Đi, and “Người Hãy Quên Em Đi.”

These were just a few of the wonderful performances seen on April 16th. Zahra Chittalia ‘21 says, “It was a perfect reminder about all of the cultures we have at Sem and how many opportunities we have to learn about them.” It was a reminder that emphasized the importance of an integral part of the Sem community: the brilliant diversity among our students.

Sem Hosts its First Chinese Culture Night

Pictured: One student learns about the topic of shadow puppetry from one of the stands on the night.

By Yifei Liu ’21

On March 22, over fifty members of the Sem community gathered in the Blue Gym of Wyoming Seminary. They held different activities like teaching calligraphy, finding your own Chinese name, trying to drink different kinds of traditional hot tea, enjoying some performances of various instruments, and learning some of the traditions of Chinese culture. All of the activities presented had pointed to one main topic: China. Sem established its first Chinese Culture Night ever in the school’s history.

The Chinese Culture Night had many enjoyable activities that were based on the Chinese culture. The purpose of this event was, “to spread Chinese history and culture among our Sem community in a fun and engaging way,”  according to Mrs. Jessica Gensel, the school’s Mandarin teacher. Mandarin scholars from the Upper School and Lower School prepared their presentations about different traditions of the Chinese culture. Some presentations included being about paper cutting, the Chinese hot pot, and the Forbidden City. The event gave people a chance to learn about some important aspects of the Chinese culture, and it was also the opportunity students and families to exchange their cultural traditions and ideas.

The Sem community gives a  special thanks to the Alumni and Parent Association for fundraising this event and to the Chinese Culture Club for arranging all the informative and entertaining activities.  

By Aishani Chauhan ‘20

Cometry to Improve Our Society?

Comedy and poetry.  Put them together, and you get Cometry: a group whose mission statement is to blend performance poetry and stand up comedy into entertainment that highlights the similarities, habits, and traits, that people all share, but often go unnoticed.  Every Cometry piece or “coem” is designed to tell a story, raise awareness, or deliver an inspirational message, all while making making one laugh.  On January 26, 2018, Iggy Mwela and Claudia Martinez of Cometry performed at the Kirby Center for the Creative Arts in front of students and faculty.

Cometry introduced the concept of being “GRAV” or a leader that people always want to be around.  To demonstrate a key part of the “GRAV”―vulnerability― Ms. Martinez put on a hat and drew a mustache on her face in order to look like her uncle, and shared stories of her experiences as a child growing in up in a Mexican household and her struggle with coming out as a teen.  Iggy Mwela performed an original poem revealing his abusive childhood growing up with an alcoholic parent in an unsafe neighborhood.  At the core of this performance was a message to embrace one’s weaknesses, and turn them into strengths.  “I was very pleasantly surprised by the impact it left me with.  The show was not only very funny and entertaining, but it also sounded like a very important message.” says Leanna Yatcilla ‘20 of their performances.

However, a few students thought that the performance was disorganized and that the message was lost within the comedy; “While Cometry’s aim was to deliver an inspiring message, the disorganization and long length of the performance led to the message becoming lost in the comedy,” said Sophie Guichardan ‘19. Whatever Cometry presented to its audience, it did not fail to emphasize the question, “How can I become a better leader by embracing both my similarities and differences?”