Northwestern’s multicultural theatre board Vibrant Colors Collective (VC2) held its inaugural In Living Color Festival in Shanley Pavilion Saturday.
Student vocalists, dancers, playwrights and instrumentalists filled the intimate space with performances from noon to 10 p.m. The show also featured solo acts, such as a musical set from Communication sophomore Ellie Caro and a reading of a play written by Communication junior Walter Todd.
Student group performances included East Asian-interest a capella group Treblemakers, the Latin Music Ensemble and student band Static Transmission. Dance groups Bhangra and Black Burlesque even invited audience members to participate in interactive workshops.
“It was a space where you’re not being judged,” Weinberg freshman and VC2 member Isaiah Thomas said. “You’re able to be yourself while also being able to meet new people — people who look like you and people who don’t look like you.”
Communication senior Aditi Ram began the day’s acts with a thillana, a South Indian rhythmic dance. It was Ram’s first time both as an opener and as a performer in any NU student showcase, she said.
She likened Shanley’s size to Links Hall, a Chicago theatre known for its intimate atmosphere, where she had previously performed.
“You could see everyone’s faces while you danced,” Ram said. “Those settings are the best because you can really feel the audience’s energy.”
Instead of sitting in rows, audience members could watch from one of five tables or a line of seats along the periphery. Some even stood up to dance.
Between sets, attendees could purchase art and handicrafts from Palestine or decorate Shanley’s black walls with colorful chalk.
“You can make Shanley whatever you want because it’s literally just a shack painted black,” Communication sophomore and VC2 member Palima Lukins said. “We wanted it to be a chill, cafe kind of vibe.”
Accompanying the chalk art were posters, which SESP junior and festival organizer Malik Middleton encouraged the audience to read between sets.
Most posters described two NU programs prominent in the 1970s: the Black Folks Theatre, a coalition for Black performers at NU, and Amazingrace, a coffeehouse and live music venue that emerged from the anti-war movement.
Artwork by Northwestern Prison Education Program students and Evanston residents also lined the walls. Evanston resident Rickiya Zachary said the Northwestern Community Ensemble’s gospel performance touched her because it conveyed the same message as her displayed artwork, which read “Where God is I am.”
Zachary remained at the festival for several hours. She said she enjoyed socializing in addition to watching the acts.
“It’s nice to be in a space where people are positive,” Zachary said. “Everyone’s just loving on each other.”
While the festival drew inspiration from historic arts initiatives, Middleton reminded the audience to consider art’s role as “a definite function in our fight for liberation.”
He referenced conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palestine and Sudan.
“Art is meant to make people feel something. Art is meant to wake people up,” Middleton said in his opening remarks. “Art is meant to tell our stories in a world where we are told that our stories do not matter.”
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