Fusion Festival brings cultures together

Posted on 30. Nov, 2009 by msundardas in A&E

ANGELO ELIA
SENIOR REPORTER

Although few people attended, students say they enjoyed the performances and free food at the International Fusion Festival in the Student Centre on Oct. 21.

Nadia Rosemond, international student advisor, said the event was a talent show for international students to display their singing and dancing skills.

“It was a small turnout, but we did have students perform and sing,” said Rosemond.

There were seven performers, including two singers and one dancer who were on stage and others from the audience decided to perform as well.

“The turnout was good because students were singing with the performers and we had students volunteer to sing,” Rosemond said.  “They were really good.  They sang songs in Punjabi and sang along with other students.”

Maninder Singh Sandhu, a first-year business management student, performed acapella. He sang two songs, including one about his hometown.

“I started singing in my country when I was around 11 years-old,” he said.

Rosemond explained Sandhu “sang an old song about a mom missing her child and a mother’s love of how she missed her son.”

Hansini Sooben , a second-year travel and tourism student, said she was a dancer at the festival and performed to a classical song as well as to a Punjabi song.

Sooben said she was not nervous at all because she danced a lot back home in Mauritius, India.

“I was young, maybe 12 years-old,” she said. “It’s my hobby.  I love dancing.”

Sooben said she enjoys dancing to various genres and the turnout of the crowd was great.

“Nobody was laughing at me and they were happy, that’s what my friends told me,” she said.

Rosemond said all the performances were great. “I liked them all because they all had the courage to sing and perform.”

Pranavsingh Parmar, 25, an exercise science and lifestyle management student, said the show brought people together.

“People are coming to show their talents and culture and its fusion, which means having a connection,” said Parmar.

The festival finished an hour early, but Rosemond said she thinks the student centre will have the event as a re-ocurring program in the following years to come.