After a seven-minute, energy-charged dance of intense choreography, Babbar Sher Punjab De Bhangra dance members paused to breathe as the audience rose to give the only standing ovation during the Multi-Cultural Night.

“It was pretty shocking,” said Somia Aslam, criminal justice major and coach of the Kuriyaan. “When the show started, the audience was small. Then, with the full house, (the dancers) got nervous. But afterward, with the response, they felt so great.”

The Babbar Sher Punjab De Bhangra and its sister group, the Kuriyaan, are the first and only southwest Asian groups on campus. The performance was the first of many dances planned for the night.

“In the culture, when the harvests came in, they used to dance. That’s where it came from. Now it’s mixed with modern steps,” Aslam said. “In the Indian culture, dancing is a main thing for them. Happiness brings them together.”

Many of the groups used hip-hop to unite their traditional differences with the other diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Miguel Calderon, business major and three-year attendee of the event, said he enjoyed the balance between musical styles the Babbar Sher Punjab De Bhangra group achieved.

“You always think traditional hip-hop. It was awesome; they had such variety,” Calderon said.

The fifth annual event hosted by fraternity Epsilon Sigma Rho, the Multi-Cultural Center and UNIQUE certainly did not lack variety.

Guillermo Torres, event host and Epsilon Sigma Rho alumnus, said that while the fraternity tries to encourage new acts, it always asks groups back each year.

Members of the Samahang Pilipino group, a three-time attendee, balanced candles on their foreheads and stomachs while partners swung candles in red scarves. Their dance portrayed the romantic courtship in the Philippine culture.

“It was really scary because at practice we would drop (the candles) lot,” said Justine Tubana, kinesiology major.

The free event was not just for Sac State students. It focused on improving multicultural awareness everywhere.

“A lot of our friends from different colleges came to support us for the first time,” Aslam said.

And you didn’t need to be a student either.

“It’s not only for the campus, but the community. The groups that perform are diverse – a lot of rituals we hadn’t seen before,” said alumna Latoya Jackson.

The culture education for the community continues on long after the actual night.

“Events have helped the campus growth. You’ll have a different organization try to do its own events just on its culture,” Torres said.

The Samahang Pilipino club did just that a few weeks ago when it hosted its own cultural night with local talent.

There is also multi-culturalism within the groups themselves. The Kuryiaan group comprises members of Indian, Iranian and Pakistani descent. And not all hold to the same religion.

Despite their different backgrounds, the students found a common ground in the traditional dances of their regions.

“I knew only one of these girl from AR. We met through the fact that she wanted to do bhangra. It was just a passion of dancing that we all got together. We didn’t know each other.”

“As a culture, we are planning to do a bhangra night, a little open, free dance. Since the club on campus is a religious one, we might do something with that,” Aslam said.

After being with Multi-Cultural Night since its beginning, Torres has watched the community grow in cultural awareness in the last five years, especially with regards to Black History Month.

But there are always areas to improve.

“I would love to have a multicultural week. I want to have food from community vendors and local businesses,” Torres said.

Other acts ranged from a Los Angeles-style salsa to members of the Lambda Theta Nu sorority raising machetes over their heads while dancing. A machete is a large cleaver, like cutting tool, that is typically 50 to 60 centimeters long.

Before the show, Anita Rosales made a small cut on her shin with the machete.

“It must be good luck,” she laughed.

The Lambda Theta Nu’s energizing routine of powerful machete-clashing, hip-hop moves and chanting with the audience proved the omen true.

The Sac State Martial Arts club showcased kicking drills and individual form using poles, swords and ropes. The room filled with epic, pounding music while one member fought two others and threw them to the ground.

The Epsilon Sigma Rho chapter emphasized unity within the community, regardless of one’s ethnicity, by its clapping and stomping routine, showing brotherhood doesn’t fade away.

“Once you graduate you will always be a brother. When the (alumni) come back, they are proud (of Multi-Cultural Night),” Torres said.

Chloe Daley can be reached at [email protected].