alumnaematters
A Fusion of Cultures and Identities 26
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ore than one hundred alumnae, students, and faculty members attended the fourth triennial Asian/Asian American Alumnae and Student Conference in November sponsored by the MHC Alumnae Association and various other offices on campus. The conference, “Facing East, Facing West: From the Gates of Mount Holyoke to a Global Citizenship,” explored both the idea of global citizenship and the multifaceted relationships between Asians and Asian Americans.
A cultural fusion of food and fun was one of the highlights of the weekend gathering, which featured a lavish buffet of Chinese, Indian, and Korean food on Saturday evening as well as student performances by Jhumka, Bhangra, and KASA, and Miki Yamashita ’06, who wrote and performed the one-woman comedy The Geisha Next Door.
Pa u l S c h n a i t ta c h e r
Among the conference performers was Jhumka, the first competitive dance team of its kind at MHC. Jhumka’s style fuses South Asian classical, pop, film, and folk styles with ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and other western genres. The jhumka is a traditional ornament worn by women on the subcontinent as a symbol of femininity, maidenhood, and grace. The team ultimately hopes to enter intercollegiate competitions.