MSL Night showcases cultural dance and ritual

Bryan Wagner

The Multicultural Students League held its annual MSL Night in the Villanova Room on March 28.

Cultural groups from around campus and the surrounding area had an opportunity to perform and celebrate their cultural heritage, as well as to showcase that heritage to those in attendance.

The event was well attended by students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the surrounding community and family members.

This year’s theme was “Old School/New School” and consisted of modern dances and rituals with a current day touch, such as music.

The show began with an introduction by the four hosts: Oscar Abello, Michelle Thomas, Ray Madden and Mai-Linh Tran.

Throughout the night, these four individuals took turns introducing the acts and entertaining the crowd with jokes, skits and their own performances with various groups.

The first performer was Lauren Pugh, who demonstrated her martial arts talents set to contemporary music.

Following her, the Irish Step Team took the stage and performed two different types of dances for the audience.

Next up was the Omani Student Association, which performed the dances involved with the traditional Omani wedding ceremony.

The colorful garments each individual wore represented the clothing worn in Oman and signified which region the individual is from.

Throughout the night, there were numerous skits shown from some past events, which caused a great deal of laughter from the audience.

One of the most memorable skits was a remake of a Snoop Dogg music video by this year’s MSL Executive Board.

The Vietnamese Dancers from the Asian Student Association performed their dance while wearing traditional hats.

The final act before intermission was Cedric Sample, who frequently performs in Philadelphia.

Sample demonstrated spoken word talents and shared a love story about poetry.

During intermission, various cultural foods were provided for attendees to sample.

The second half began with a fashion show that highlighted many different forms of cultural dress. These outfits were modeled by Villanova students and proved to be a favorite part of the night with audience.

Next up was Dadkan with its high-energy dance, which put a lot of emphasis on leg and arm movement.

Following this act, Madden sang his own version of a song by Bobby Caldwell and Boyz II Men.

The next group of performers, visiting from Elizabethtown, Pa., showed off its stepping skills.

Ivan Noisette followed up by sharing a piece he had written about truth.

Redemption, a spiritual dance group, performed next, followed by the final act of the night, Ticknickling. This group performed to a number of songs and dance beats.

The night concluded with a video tribute to senior members of MSL, highlighting events from the last four years.