On Tuesday, February 27, 2018, the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) hosted their fourth annual Multicultural Night in the Hiebert Lounge. The event was organized by the ASDA Diversity & Inclusion Committee. The fun-filled evening consisted of an eclectic mix of foods, music, dance, and fashions from around the world.
The emcees for the evening—Hazeka Kadri DMD AS 18 and Luis Perez DMD 18 —kicked off the event by greeting all the attendees and inviting the guests to enjoy a Middle Eastern meal catered by the Black Seed Café and Minarawah Indian Restaurant. Throughout the evening, guests could visit the Henna table for a temporary tattoo or locate their home countries on a large map using a variety of colored pins. Dr. Ana Zea, Director of Community-Based Education in the Office of Global & Population Health, delivered the keynote address. After dinner, the nearly 200 attendees enjoyed music and dance performances featuring cultures from around the globe, as well as a diverse cultural fashion show. Participants in the fashion show are listed below.
The first performer of the evening was Jessica Lam DMD 19, who demonstrated a classic martial arts routine. She was followed by a Middle Eastern musical act performed by Kushal Zinzuvadia DMD AS 18, Ahad Ahmed DMD AS 18, and Nitya Chhabra DMD AS 19. Next up was a Bollywood fusion dance performance by a group of three students; Payal Kumar DMD 21, Kikita Arora DMD 21, and Tulsi Mali DMD 21. A large group of DMD AS 19 students then demonstrated a traditional Middle Eastern wedding dance, followed by a piano solo from Alicia Tavares DMD 18.
The second half of performances began with a salsa dance performance by Luis Perez DMD 18 and Caroline Adams DMD 18. Two more dances followed; the first was a traditional Aftab dance, the second a Bollywood fusion dance by DMD AS 19 students. Kushal Zinzuvadia DMD AS 18 then performed again, this time on piano, and the last performance was an Indian dance by a group of DMD AS 18 students.
The evening closed with the drawing of three raffle tickets, door prizes, and closing remarks from Mr. Perez and Ms. Kadri.
Fashion Show Participants
- Alex, Val, and Ester Fedorenko wore the Vyshyvanka of Ukraine and Belarus;
- Helena Melo and Ronny Rodriquez wore the ie of Romania;
- Lihn and Michelle Nguyen wore the ao dai of Vietnam;
- Farah Alayyoubi wore a traditional Middle Eastern dress;
- Michael Abboud modeled traditional Syrian clothing;
- Hajra Mujtaba wore traditional Shalwar Kameez of Pakistan;
- Pujitha Talasila and Uma Deepthi Potluri wore Langa and Voni of South India;
- Ruchi Ahuja, Vinti Ahuja, Aarav Khusbu Malhotra, and Zehra Husain modeled more Indian attire; and
- Aldo Porfka, Marina Mikeal, Dawn Vinoi, Jimmy Alburquerque, and Laura Callan showcased the latest BU ASDA apparel available to the GSDM community.
More photos from Multicultural Night can be found on Facebook and Flickr.