Caroline Shapley | Contributor
Students, family and local community entered Rediger Chapel on Saturday evening. The attendees packed the seats, voices of anticipation and excitement filled the air. At 7 p.m. the lights dimmed and Mosaic Night began.
Held every spring, Mosaic Night is an event of prepared performances that showcase various cultures and traditions of Taylor students. Performances are done by Taylor organizations and student groups. A variety of artistic events showcases traditions of different cultures and celebrates one-of-a-kind traditions.
Taylor Gospel Choir was part of the show with their performance of "Rejoice for Mosaic Night." Freshman Michaela Stenerson thought it was a very cool experience to be able to sing at the event as member of the Gospel Choir.
"Watching and being a part of the community of people that came together to express their cultures to each other created a really unique atmosphere and I came away from it with the desire to travel and learn even more about each of these incredible cultures," Stenerson said. "Mosaic Night opened my eyes to the uniqueness of each culture and also the unitedness of us all as one human race and body of Christ!"
Sophomore Heewon Son, performed with Asia Society for Intercultural Awareness. For the past couple of years, the group performed K-Pop, a popular music genre. This year, they decided to switch it up a bit.
A single performance split into three different parts, they showcased a Japanese traditional dance, Bollywood dance and K-Pop dance. To complete the three-part act, they all came together with Asian flags that represent the various cultures at Taylor.
To prepare for this night, a lot of hard work and hours of preparation went into deciding, creating and practicing the performances. Meant for more than entertainment, the show is designed to bring different cultures together.
"I think it is a night to just, you know, leave behind your politics, just gather together to just enjoy each other's cultures," Son said.
A little over two hours and one short intermission later, cheers and applause fill Rediger Chapel. The lights turn on again, revealing a room full of smiling faces in response to an incredible night of performance.
The audience left pleased and intrigued. Junior Eric Ruddell was an attendee of the show, and appreciated everything it encompassed.
"Mosaic Night proved to be a beautiful representation of how different cultures can come together to display God's creation of diversity, unity, and talent," Ruddell said.
So, what does one do in response to a night like this? It is very easy to only see the performances of the show as nothing more than entertainment for one evening. However, it is very important to not let that be where you leave it.
Ask questions about the different traditions that were performed. Get to know more about some of the cultures showcased that particularly caught your attention. A performance of diversity, such as this, is a starting point of unity for all that performed and attended.
