Fusion Memphis 2016: The Multicultural Experience

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Niharika Tayade (11) dancing Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance.

The Multicultural Fusion event was held to display the diversity of White Station and Memphis as a whole. This event was also a way to raise money for the Memphis Humane Society and UNICEF, where all the proceeds were donated.

Preparation for this event took 3 years for Tanya Tandon (11). The purpose was to unite and teach people about certain aspects of different cultures.

“I feel like White Station is one of the most diverse schools in Memphis and I wanted to emphasize that,” Tandon said.

The preparation paid off as there were 13 performances, some of which were representing K-Pop, Indian and Russian dances as well as Vietnamese and Japanese songs.

Another part of the event was the multicultural fashion show with 14 participants wearing clothes from their represented culture.

These representations show White Station’s diversity extends beyond what students learn in the classroom. Seeing performances of different cultures often helps people understand more about other cultures.

“People need to be aware of the different cultures amongst us because White Station is known for its diversity, however, not that many people participate in it or interact with everyone here,” Thao Anh La (11) said.

The final performance from Danza Azteca, a local Aztec Dance group, closed For the event to be successful, it was important to have other groups and schools participate, to really teach the audience of other cultures.  

“We were even able to get St. Mary’s and Houston High School to come here and they were performing,” La said.

The participants and audience members were able to get a new view of other cultures represented within our school, and a better understanding of the different people within our world.