When Sanaa Shah `28 stepped onto the stage as part of the opening apparel showcase during the International Student Organization (ISO) Cultural Evening on Saturday, April 12, she wasn’t just wearing a dress — she was carrying a piece of her heritage with her.
“It was my mom’s,” said Shah, the fabric linking her present-day college experience to memories of home and family traditions. “She wore it a lot when she was younger, and I just thought why not?”
For Shah, the Cultural Evening wasn’t just another campus event. It was a vibrant, heartwarming moment of connection. “It’s so cool to see everyone put on their own little show,” she said, smiling. “But it’s also very heartwarming to see your own culture put on something and be very familiar as to what’s happening on stage.”
In the spring, Grinnell’s Harris Center transforms into a global showcase of different cultures, bringing students together from all around the world. Hosted by ISO, Cultural Evening is a beloved campus tradition that gives students the opportunity to celebrate their cultural identity through performance. This year’s performance featured a vibrant mix of modern and traditional acts, from Chinese legends and Indian classical fusion to K-pop dance and spoken word.
This year, Hazel Zhou `27 made her ISO Cultural Evening debut, one she had been thinking about after she attended Cultural Evening last year. Her choreographed piece, “China: Sword, Silk, and Spring” explored China’s diverse geography and history through traditional dance. Hazel designed the piece to reflect three regions: the north, represented by swordsmanship; the west, symbolized by mysterious desert legends; and the southeast, where she performed a spring-themed umbrella dance with falling petals, since the southeast is represented by spring.
“I’m proud of this work because this is kind of my own design, but I think I’m prouder on the cultural side, because we really want a performance that kind of introduces a traditional Chinese culture to everyone. And we do think it’s a very good representation of the general Chinese culture.”
Zhou said that last year’s event didn’t have many traditional performances and focused more on pop and contemporary elements, so she felt like adding in those traditional elements would add a bit of diversity.
Lydia Ye `26 also brought Chinese storytelling to life, drawing from the folk legend of the White Snake since it’s the year of the snake.
“So, in that story, there’s the White Snake, like the main character. She has a girl bestie, and they were kind of growing up together,” said Ye. “And they kind of go on the adventure together. So yeah, that’s the story that we embedded into our dance.”
The group started preparing after spring break, building off lessons learned from last year’s performance. “We kind of have a better idea of what kind of the show people might like to see, and this gives us a better experience to prepare our show,” said Ye.
Meanwhile, first-year Saniya Desai `28 teamed up with Kaavya Shriram `28 to present a unique North-South Indian classical fusion of Kathak and Bharatanatyam, styles that rarely meet on the same stage.
“I don’t know anyone at Grinnell who does my style of dancing, which is Kathak, which is like North Indian classical,” said Desai. “So I asked Kaavya if she was interested in trying to do a fusion piece with me, because I’ve never done one before.”
Despite starting just one week before the show, the two dancers choreographed their solos separately, then collaborated to create mirrored movements. “It was really fun to kind of try to do the same type of step like going off each other and carrying each other,” said Desai. “And then also it gave me the opportunity to learn more about her dance style and vice versa.”
Each student emphasized that Cultural Evening goes far beyond performance and is about creating space. “I really especially enjoy the moment, the final moment, which is when everyone from all different countries dance together on a stage,” said Zhou. “We have different skin color, we speak different languages, and we’re just so different. But at that moment, everyone is just so happy. So that’s absolutely my favorite moment.”
