Aaron Berkowitz – General Assignment Reporter
The show must go on no matter what, said Diandre Williams, junior sports management major and a poet who performed at the Multicultural Center’s Night of Expression in the Adanti Student Center ballroom.
“Even though it was a packed venue, I think even more people should have come out to the show because it was promoting strong positive messages to students. The event showed people how important it is to be comfortable with yourself and who you are. When you’re different you shine,” said Williams.
Technical difficulties may have slowed the show down, but the crowd waited patiently and even cheered for Williams to do an encore performance. “I was a little nervous at first,” said Williams. “I just wanted people to get caught up in the words and even though I was nervous I thought it went well for my first performance at SCSU.”
Isaiah Langston, junior social work major, said he was proud of his roommate Jeremy Grier for putting together the event and he was surprised to see how many people came out on such short notice. “This is something he’s very passionate about and the turnout of the show showed how much effort he put into it,” said Langston.
Langston said Grier’s effort was matched by all of the acts that performed, especially the live band that had to play a few extra sets due to the technical difficulties. “Everyone in the show did a good job of staying relaxed, positive, and taking things how they were,” said Langston. “Them getting the crowd involved definitely made up for the issues they had with the sound setup.”
Students and faculty who missed the show also missed out on performances by Southern’s own Sammy Maximin, Trey Moore, Chef the Chef, and more. Along with the live performances that the showcase featured, there was also a mini documentary shown, a dedication painting for the school done live, and a fashion show as well.
Janirhar Scotland, junior psychology major, said she didn’t plan on coming to the event but she was happy she did. “I thought everyone did a nice job,” said Scotland. “The technical problems were a setback but I liked how everyone involved kept their composure and carried on with the show. I think out of all the acts, the artwork on display had to be my favorite part of the show.”
Neal Fudge IV, the artist whose artwork was on display during the event, said he was honored to participate in the event because it gave him an opportunity to connect with people through his paintings. “The inspiration for the piece I did during the show came from the energy that I was getting and how I felt in that moment,” said Fudge.
Fudge said coming from financial struggles in Georgia to having the opportunity to showcase his artwork in Connecticut and express his story was an amazing experience for him. “I try to make my artwork so that people can feel it,” said Fudge. “It’s pretty cool to have people be able to connect with how I was feeling or what I was going through when I created one of my pieces.”
The Multicultural Center is constantly putting on shows around campus to enlighten and open up the minds of students, so if anyone missed out on this showcase there will be more to follow.
