Many Cultures, Many Talents Displayed during Multicultural Day
March 23, 2004

Friday, March 5 was Multicultural Day at the Martinsville campus, and in celebration of Pingry’s diverse community, a morning assembly was held in the Hauser Auditorium. The gathering provided a vibrant mixture of dance, music, and fashion representative of a variety of cultures. Dean of Students Joan Hearst introduced the event, and senior Geoff Cox was master of ceremonies for the dance portion. Modern American culture was displayed through a creative, hip hop dance performance by sophomores Kiwanii Pond, Jazmin Wright, Cathryn Stanley, freshman Tye-Tanisha Edwards, and seventh grader Yasmin Garret. The girls wore sporty shorts, tank tops, and long socks and danced in unison to a popular song. Juniors Julie Ann Aueron, Jessica Meyer, Alison Sarokhan, and Maggie O’Toole also threw on laid back attire and athletic caps to engage the school in another funky dance medley. Dances from India were beautifully illustrated by sisters Ameesha ’06 and Neha Sampat ’07, who were dressed in airy white and blue traditional dresses. The two, performing barefoot, used their body movements to interpret the meaning of the music that was used. Similarly, junior Suruchi Ahuja’s solo performance demonstrated influences from differing sections of India. Her dance included the use of ankle bells, hand gestures, and intricate poses to tell a love story. Junior Monal Mehta’s facial expressions showed complete focus on her form as she wowed the audience with her Korean martial arts skills. The movements are seen as a celebration of beauty and life and were cleverly executed to the music of Beethoven’s fifth symphony. Junior Allison Seebald equally stunned viewers with her amazing talent as she stepped to the Irish music of Riverdance. Allison’s set was performed in hard shoes – one of the highest levels in step competition. Between her two performances were Scottish music by Jon Roberts and a fellow junior student who played the fiddle. Following the array of dance and music was a fashion show spearheaded by the Asian club. MCs Obi Eboh, a junior, and senior Christine Hsu introduced the models (Pingry students) as they walked the runway. Traditional and modern clothes from Ireland, Spain, Pakistan, Germany, Austria, Germany, Greece, Africa, USA, Carpatho-Rusyn, India, China, Taiwan, and Scotland were humorously and proudly displayed. Even a few faculty and staff members graced the catwalk with their presence. Organizers gave thanks to all the participants, including senior Issac Oransky, who handled the music, and eighth grader Melinda Zoephel, who looked after the lighting. © 2004 The Pingry School