‘Global Encounters’: The 39th Cultural Rhythms Showcase Honors Becky G

On a rainy Saturday evening, hundreds of Harvard students, faculty, staff, and alumni headed to Sanders Theatre to celebrate cultural diversity on the College’s campus.

The Harvard Foundation’s 39th Cultural Rhythms Show graced Harvard’s campus on April 5, boasting diverse powerhouse performances and a sit-down conversation with Artist of the Year, Becky G.

This year’s annual celebration, hosted by Foundation student workers Isabela C. Gonzalez-Lawand ’26 and Tiffany C. Onyeiwu ’25, upheld its mission of highlighting the beauty of multiculturalism at Harvard. For Gonzalez-Lawand, this year’s celebration was particularly special with the selection of Becky G as Artist of the Year.

“We haven’t had a Latina artist in ten years. To see Becky G come to the stage and be that representation that we haven’t seen in so long was really important,” she said in an interview with The Crimson.

Many excited Latinx students filled the audience, screaming with pride when Gonzalez-Lawand ’26 asked them, “¿Dondé está la gente latina esta noche?”

The show began with a land acknowledgement, delivered by LeMonie K. Hutt ’26, a Crimson Arts editor. Then followed speeches by Harvard’s Associate Dean for Inclusion and Belonging Alta Mauro, who praised Dean Rakesh Khurana’s support of the Foundation during his tenure as Dean of Harvard College — which will end in June 2025. Next, the audience heard from the Harvard Foundation’s Senior Director Habiba Braimah, who declared that inclusivity means celebrating diversity, not just tolerating it. Even more, she reminded attendees that joy is “a bold, radical, intentional choice.”

At last, the show’s directors Anapaula Barba ’25 and Hayat A. Hassan ’25 took the stage to kick off the performances and celebration.

The first group to take the stage was the oldest Black organization on Harvard’s campus, the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College. The group performed an Igbo song entitled “Jayama” and an African American hymn “Can’t Give Up Now,” adapted from “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired.” After their performance, the group’s president Madison E. Valley ’25 spoke with the hosts, encouraging audience members to join the Kuumba singers in celebrating Black experiences and culture on campus through song.

Next, the Harvard Asian American Dance Troupe (AADT) performed a dance that combined traditional folk dance with modern elements. The ensemble wore white and yellow ombré costumes, gliding across the stage. Choreographer Jodie Y. Kuo ’25 and director Yafan Wang ’26 expressed how the troupe serves as a haven for students to celebrate Asian identities through various styles of traditional and modern dance.

The performance was followed by the Harvard Undergraduate Candela Latin Dance Troupe, dancing bachata, samba, and various styles of Latin dance to vibrant music and loud cheers from the audience. After their performance, the group took some time to teach the hosts some moves before the Harvard Dankira Dance Troupe was introduced.

Harvard Dankira Dance Troupe, which is affiliated with the Ethiopian and Eritrean Student Association, has been uniting students through traditional dance for the past two years. Though still new, the group has grown over the past two years and aims to showcase traditional dance from the hundreds of ethnic groups spanning across Ethiopia and Eritrea. This year, their performance showcased around seven different cultural dances featuring partner work and props, garnering high-energy responses from the audience.

Following Dankira, Harvard Undergraduate Bhangra took the stage. The group’s captains explained the history of bhangra, a dance style created by Punjabi farmers to celebrate the harvest. With colorful costumes and props, the troupe brought Punjabi culture to the Cultural Rhythms audience, fusing traditional music and dance styles with modern American tunes. Co-captain Raphael Tourette ’26 noted that they felt it was important that everyone felt they could relate to their performance.

The Harvard Undergraduate Philippine Forum closed off the first half with a traditional folk dance, tinikling. As some members tapped and slid large bamboo poles across the ground, others jumped around and in between them in a technically difficult and entertaining performance combining traditional and modern music.

After their performance, the troupe’s captains expressed their joy over the group’s expansion over the past year. They also shared the two versions of tinikling’s history: One that the dance was inspired by the movement of tikling birds in the Philippines, and the other that the dance was created during the Spanish colonial period, symbolizing Philippine farmers dodging their feet to avoid being hit by bamboo sticks as punishment by Spanish colonizers. Finally, the dancers gave a short lesson to the hosts before the show went to intermission.

Student and singer Bryant Y. Valenzuela ’25 opened the second half of the show with a medley of iconic songs including “Como La Flor” by Selena and “Somos Más Americanos” by Los Tigres Del Norte. Valenzuela said that he wanted to pick songs that people knew and that reflected his feelings “for the times,” amidst uncertainty faced by Latin American immigrants across the country. Valenzuela was greeted by thunderous applause and cheers as he graced the Cultural Rhythms stage for the third and last time before he graduates in May. For Valenzuela, this year’s performance was particularly special after seeing it change and grow across his four years at the college.

“I felt like I had a responsibility to show the diverse music that Mexican culture has,” he said.

Following Valenzuela, Omo Naija x Wahala Boys took the stage with an energetic performance, taking the audience across West Africa through their dance themed around a group of characters trying to travel to Nigeria. The group’s captains Kai H. Reed ’25 and Ifeoluwa A. Adedokun ’25 emphasized the value of dance in building community in their own Harvard experience and reflected on the impact of Omo Naija x Wahala Boys on their time at Harvard.

Becky G’s entrance was built up to by performances by Mariachi Véritas and Harvard RAZA Ballet Folklórico. The audience erupted in cheers at the entrances of both groups. Mariachi invited audiences to “gritar,” or sing along. After playing a set alone, the Mariachi introduced RAZA Ballet Folklórico, which took the stage with gusto. The groups’ performances preluded the talk with Cultural Rhythms’ first Latina Artist of the Year in 10 years.

In discussion with the Cultural Rhythms co-directors, Becky G — one of the youngest Artist of the Year recipients — gave gems of advice to the audience and spoke of her musical and life inspirations.

“My source has always been my community, my family,” she said.

After Becky G received her plaque and left the stage, some of the night’s performers reentered for one last hurrah, led by Ballet Folklórico.

This year, Cultural Rhythms championed community on and off the stage. For Hassan, the highlight of the experience was “working with each other,” referring to her co-director Barba. Barba remarked on the unique community events that took place over the week, including the fashion show where the Artist of the Year was announced.

“It's not creating but more so bringing all of that together and allowing that to flourish,” Hassan said.

Despite widespread fears of federal funding cuts to the university amid federal moves against DEI, the Foundation remains hopeful and strong. Its director, Braimah, reminded people that “joy is a choice.” With the Foundation’s focus on “build[ing] bridges across lines of differences,” she looks to the future with determination.

“We recognize the importance of DEI, and today was a testament to that,” she said.

Student workers like Gonzalez-Lawand are already gearing up for the anticipated 40th Annual Cultural Rhythms Show, ready to continue on the Foundation’s mission towards diversity and multiculturalism.

“I’m confident that Cultural Rhythms will continue to be bigger and better every year,” Gonzalez-Lawand said.

—Staff writer Dzifa A. Ackuayi can be reached at dzifa.ackuayi@thecrimson.com.