Eleven of Lehigh’s dance groups shared their different cultural aspects through dance performance at FUSION. Some of the featured groups included LU Bhangra, Leela, Helius, Dancin’ and Belly Dancing.
FUSION took place in Baker Hall at Zoellner Arts Center on Nov. 4, organized by the Asian Cultural Society and the Black Student Union.
Derrick Um, ‘25, is the co-event coordinator for Asian Cultural Society and member of the planning committee for FUSION. He said the event’s name stands for Fostering Unity Staged in One Night, and brings together different communities through dance.
Lehigh Dancin’ performed in Baker Hall on Nov. 4 at FUSION: fostering unity in one night. Hosted by the Asian Cultural Society and Black Students Union, the event illustrates the vast cultures of Lehigh Students through dance performances. (Xinyi Ren/B&W Staff)
Um is a member of the Phi Sigma Chi Multicultural Fraternity and said he was looking forward to watching some of the members from his fraternity perform.
“Given Lehigh’s history of being a (Primarily White Institution), Asian Cultural Society and Black Student Union wanted to have a major event in the fall where we could really bridge the gap between different cultural groups on campus,” Um said.
Kareem Hargrove, ‘25, vice president of the Black Student Union and member of FUSION’s planning committee said the event began in 2017.
He said the intentions behind the event were to recognize the different dance groups at Lehigh while upholding diversity, inclusion and equity values. Hargrove is also a member of the dance group Bad Company, and he performed at the event.
“A lot of the dance teams are diverse themselves, (representing) different ethnic and cultural backgrounds,” Hargrove said.
He said being on the planning committee and in Bad Company allowed him to see both the planning and performing aspects of the event
Um said FUSION provides a space to exchange cultural ideas, and since the show was free, it allowed for a wider audience to do so.
“We put a lot of effort into removing barriers behind exposing yourself to another person’s culture,” Um said.
Lehigh Dancin’ is one of the groups that performed, among 10 others. (Xinyi Ren/B&W Staff)
Isabel Xu, ‘25, co-events coordinator for the Asian Cultural Society, helped plan the event. She said both this year and last year had an audience of about 800 people, overflowing the venue.
Xu said planning was fun but hectic, and it required booking Baker Hall, making t-shirts, getting sponsors and communicating with each dance group.
The event also featured a raffle, FUSION merch and a competition during intermission, where three volunteers competed in a dance battle.
Lorenzo Wilson, ‘25, member of Phi Sigma Chi came to support his fraternity’s performance.
“I really enjoy the multicultural aspect of FUSION and the performances,” Wilson said. “I think it is something that is very beneficial to Lehigh’s campus.”
Wilson said he hopes others come to the event in the future to experience and enjoy the hard work of each dance group.
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