Campus Activities Board (CAB) is bringing an opportunity for students to strengthen our community, one of Gustavus’ core values. At 8:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23 in Alumni Hall, CAB is hosting international dance lessons so students can learn about the cultures of fellow peers.

This event has been in the works since spring semester of last year and Junior Environmental Studies major Alex Christensen is excited to see it coming together. Christensen, involved in the CAB Culture & Diversity committee, is the head of the event. With many different cultures at Gustavus, this event offers “another way for students to share their culture,” Christensen said.

Fellow peers will teach each of the dances that students have the opportunity to learn about. Each dance session will be approximately twenty minutes long, where students will learn the dance and a little about the culture it comes from. After the dances have been taught there will be free time to show off your skills.

The idea for international dance lessons originated in a committee meeting with the question of, “What kind of event would be fun to express culture?” The event was chosen because it shows culture through dance. “It is exciting, musical and physical,” Christensen said.

One dance that is being offered is the Gumboot, which comes from South Africa and uses the body in a percussion-  like way. Another dance that students will have the opportunity to learn is Salsa Rueda, which is a circle-oriented dance originating from Cuba.

Learning about culture can be done in many ways and international dance lessons are just “one expression of culture in an exciting way,” Christensen said. These lessons provide a new way of learning about the cultures that are present at Gustavus and give students a way to connect with their peers.