The first ever Middle Eastern act debuted at this year’s Rangeela, which was held last Saturday.

Since 1996, Calvin’s annual intercultural arts showcase has dazzled and enriched students with a sampling of arts from around the world. Rangeela (Hindi for “colorful”) presents a vibrant display of different cultural traditions to promote greater understanding. Rangeela’s motto, “Yours. Mine. Ours.”, emphasizes the sharing of cultures to celebrate our different backgrounds and cherish what we have in common.

Hoping to portray the Middle East in a new light, this act featured a traditional folk dance known as “Dabke,” which originated from the Levant. The presentation involved elaborate line dancing and twirling of prayer beads in a spry, light-hearted performance.

“A lot of people have fears or just don’t know that much about this region,” said Trea Coombs, one of the senior participants who had been eager to bring this piece of the Middle East to the stage. “This is a very beautiful and traditional region and it’s important that people know that.”

The group’s ultimate goal was to depict the friendly and hospitable cultures that these countries host, away from the context of world politics and war that has stigmatized the region for years. With its impressive coordination and jubilant beat, Dabke celebrates the beauty and positivity that lives in the hearts of the Middle Eastern people. Performing this folk dance was the group’s way of giving those people a voice, having fun with it along the way.

“We’ve had a great group this year,” said Coombs. “A lot of missionary kids and others who have been all over the globe, with lots of fun stories to tell. We always find something to smile about.”

Finding unique and exciting celebrations for the numerous cultures represented at Calvin will forever be a priority for Rangeela. This year’s show featured greater variety not only in cultural representation, but in style as well. Skits and dramatic readings were interspersed with the traditional music and dances to give the audience a sense of the shared values across very different cultures.

Europe was represented this year in a joint Germany-Austria-Hungary storytelling act. The performance, told through a series of vignettes, depicted three lifelong friends bound for life by memories and love they shared, with analogues to the Danube river which connects their three nations.

“Our overall goal is to show that friendship defies boundaries,” said Krisztina

Milovszky, who co-wrote and narrated the act. “Which is what we saw in making this skit. The amount of enthusiasm we’ve received from the amazing members of our act helped us push through any difficulties.”

Numerous cultures were represented in the celebration, each carrying their own message of unity and understanding. China offered a vibrant dragon and handkerchief dance to bring good luck for the new year. South Korea paid a moving tribute to the trials and triumphs of community following the Korean War. Ghana acted out a humorous parody of familial pressure to marry as well as their love for liturgical dance.

Each act brought something new and energetic to the stage, from heartfelt stories to visually stunning traditional dances, all of them upholding Rangeela’s core message of unity. The show began with the official motto of Indonesia: “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika,” meaning “unity in diversity,” and ended with a reminder of who we are in our culture and in God’s eyes. Rangeela continues to amaze the Calvin community with an array of different cultures coming together as one.