Calvin News

When you're a senior at Calvin College and you go to Rangeela for the first time, you notice things. 
Like how the dancers in the Indian dance wore anklets which made a faint jingle sound whenever their bare feet hit the stage. Or you notice how the first dancer, Monika Hardjowasito, was trying to hold back a smile during the elaborate Indonesian Welcoming Dance. 
When you're a senior at Calvin College and you got to Rangeela for the first time and you sit in the second row of a sold-out Fine Arts Center auditorium, you are thankful for things. You're thankful for the man sitting in front of you who grabbed the piece of wood that came flying toward you during the tae-kwon-do demonstration. And you're thankful that you finally got to "see the world in an evening" in an entertaining and educational performance. 
Rangeela 2000 did take the audience on a whirlwind trip through the colors, songs, languages, clothing, customs, dances and dating rituals from places like Japan, Spain, Egypt, West Africa, Korea, Latin America and Nigeria. 
The fifteen acts included a song freshman Negasi Tewoldemedhin wrote for his mother, an African song and dance featuring musicians who learned by ear, a dance eight students learned during their semester in Spain and a skit from Egypt about belly dancing. 
Students Josh Senavoe of Ghana and Athania Pfister of Hong Kong, who provided introductions, humor and the occasional nod to the Dutch culture, hosted the three-hour show. 
Linda Bosch, the international student advisor, said that the more than 100 participants had a very challenging week. Not only did they perform for the Calvin crowd, but for the first time in Rangeela's five years, they also took the show off campus. 
Thursday night, the cast performed at Creston High School for about 150 people. 
Taking the "show on the road" was the idea of senior Bimala Shrestha, this year's director. 
"Overall, the show went better than I had expected. The time and energy that participants had put into the show were worth it," she said. 
Of the Calvin performance, she said, "I was very impressed by the encouraging response from the audience." 
The applause, gasps, hollers and cheers made the long rehearsal hours pay off. 
"The energy of the audience makes it all worth while," said Bosch in her introduction to the show. 
Susan Byker, who acts as a mentor to many international students, echoed these sentiments. "I think they were surprised that Calvin College welcomed their performance," she said, noting that she has enjoyed Rangeela since its start. "It's a good way for the international students to show us their culture and for us to show our appreciation to them." 
Rangeela, which means colorful in Hindi, began in 1995 when then-freshman Anne Zaki from Egypt wanted to create an event that would heighten cultural awareness.