Rosemount's own Rainbow Coalition

With its usual vibrant and festive atmosphere, the 2011 Multicultural Celebration was held Thursday at (DCTC), where representatives of more than 30 nations joined together in displays of
food, dance, song, art, costume, and history.

Represented by students, staff and faculty, the cultures from that many countries can be found at the school – along with even more languages from around the world.

The annual event has been a tradition for many years at DCTC. Sponsored by the Diversity Council, in partnership with the Multicultural Student Leadership Association (MSLA), it’s held “to celebrate and educate" the students, said Cori Robinson, a student support services adviser.

Increasing diversity among its students is one of the school’s priorities, said DCTC communications coordinator Chris Hayes, who noted that the number of students of color at the college has risen from 12 percent to almost 17 percent in the past year.

Nine Native American students can be counted in that number, according to Joyce Ludwig, MSLA president and Phi Theta Kappa vice president. And "that’s a lot,” she added.

Hundreds of students attended this year’s gathering, enjoying colorful and educational displays about such countries as Spain, Belarus, Germany, Russia, Jamaica and Ethiopia, to name a few.

After talking with representatives from the many nations spanning the continents, they sampled diverse cuisine at a cultural food festival with items from more than 30 countries, including the Ukraine, France, Somalia, China and Mexico. Money raised from suggested donations was designated for student scholarships.

They sat down with their food to watch very lively, live entertainment – and listen to a sharing of unique personal stories and cultural experiences from the performers.

Belly Dancing demonstrations were given by Aliyah Sahar and Alisa Martodam from the Sisters of the Sahara Dance Ensemble, captivating the audience of students, faculty and staff.

Clayton Sodentani, a native Hawaiian (who is half-Japanese, half-Hawaiian) sang for the crowd while giving a Hula demonstration. He also talked about the history of this “dance that tells a story.”

To conclude things, Travis DeCory from Ain Dah Yung Center led the Lakota Singers – a Native American drum and dance group – in energetic Native American music, song and dance, while they shared about their culture and history.

The performers encouraged audience participation, and several volunteers joined onstage to learn the dances and partake in the fun.

“We try to get everyone involved as much as we can,” Ludwig said. “We recruited the students to participate." The event is the culmination of  "a lot of work and planning.”