The Daily Orange

Media Credit: Carly Piersol

Climbing the stairs to Panasci Lounge Saturday afternoon, the beat of the drums turned from faint to deafening. The sounds of the Sudanese drum fell in perfect sync with the feet of the dancers slamming on the blue carpet.

Cultural groups shared their traditions with the Syracuse University community through music and dance at Panasci Lounge Saturday.
The Syracuse DiDinga community - a small, close-knit group living in Syracuse that came to America more than six years ago as Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan - performed traditional dances alongside members of Onondaga Nation, Syracuse's Congo community, Liberian natives, local Vietnamese and Oneida Nation.

Panasci Lounge, typically used by students as a study space, transformed into a haven for minority groups to share their heritage.

Rows of chairs lined the carpet in front of a spotlighted stage, where performers displayed native dances and beats often staged at the beginning of traditional ceremonies in their home countries.

Syracuse DiDinga community members kicked off the event with a performance of the Nyakorot, a dance that takes place after harvest. The tradition is part of an important celebration for the DiDinga, particularly for young, unmarried men who court young, single women at the Nyakorot with their bull songs, said Felicia "Fay" McMahon, a part-time professor at SU and coordinator for Saturday's event.

Darius Makuja, a professor at Le Moyne College, introduced the Syracuse DiDinga and took part in the Nyakorot. Before a packed lounge, he performed his bull song, which he said maintains powerful roots in his life, despite living in the United States for a number of years.

"In the DiDinga, you can never dance without singing the bull song," he said. "I'm always privileged to see my brothers and sisters sharing our culture."

Thirteen dancers, their bodies coated in white paint symbols, delivered a line of claps, jumps, whistles, drums and screams. Nikes and Sketchers adorned the feet of the eight male dancers who slammed against the carpet, creating a beat for the rest to follow.

After the performance, an audience member praised the raw display of culture she watched.

Continued...

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