Habibi dancer Garnett Kepler teaches students how to belly dance during the Walk Like an Egyptian: Modern Middle Eastern Dance session at World Language Day in the Business College Complex. Garnett has been dancing for 22 years.
—It was basic training — imperial Roman army style — for a group of high school students participating in World Languages Day on Saturday.
Wielding weapons typical of the army, students learned about the training and daily life of Roman legionaries during one of the more than 70 event sessions.
This year marked the fourth annual World Languages Day at MSU.
The event was a chance for students to gain insight into a culture or language they may already be studying or to experience something completely new, said Joy Campbell, chairwoman of the World Languages Day Committee and executive associate director for the Center for Language Education and Research.
“For students already taking Spanish, for example, this may offer a different insight to the culture with sessions on Spanish food,” Campbell said. “They also could have cultural sessions from countries they’ve never experienced.”
All high school students, teachers and parents statewide were invited to the event, and many in attendance Saturday were from foreign language classes. More than 100 MSU students and faculty members volunteered.
Lindsay Farah, a student volunteer and food science freshman, said she attended four sessions that represented four completely different cultures.
“Since most of the students who signed up were involved in foreign language in high school, finding out information about different languages is a great idea,” Farah said.
Languages presented include Ojibwe, American Sign Language, Esperanto, Korean, Thai and select African languages.
“The event is reaching a lot of kids who wouldn’t normally be exposed to these different cultural aspects, whether it’s language or costuming, dance or martial arts,” said Garnett Kepler, artistic director of the Habibi Dancers group.
Kepler led a session focusing on the dance and culture of Arab countries. She said the event was a good way to teach students about tolerance and understanding, and presented the opportunity to address common questions, such as why many Arabs cover their heads.
About 700 people participated, although final numbers haven’t been totaled, said Jade Sims, presenter and coordinator for the event and academic adviser for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
Sims, who also led a session on yoga philosophy, meditation and language, said the goal was to have sessions representing all areas of the world, from northern Europe to Africa. Many presenters were from MSU’s College of Arts & Letters, she said.
“The idea is to encourage students to continue their studies in high school and actively choose to study abroad or study global issues and international languages and cultures,” Sims said.
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