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Nuanced Adaptation of “All This Intimacy” Opens in Kander
Kabir Karamchandani
, Staff Writer
October 11, 2019
“Rocky Horror” Brings Weirdness to Campus for Tenth Year
Devyn Malouf
, Production Manager
October 11, 2019
Oberlin Encourages Gender Diversity in Music Technology
Aly Fogel
, Arts Editor
October 11, 2019
Ben Franklin Hosts Second Latino Festival
Carson Dowhan
, Senior Staff Writer
October 11, 2019
Comic
Clair Wang
, Illustrator
October 11, 2019
Chris Morocco, OC ’03, Bon Appétit Food Editor
Kate Fishman
, Managing Editor
October 11, 2019
“Joker” Brings Controversy, Brutality to Box Office
Kushagra Kar
, Editor-in-Chief
October 11, 2019
Book Nook: Ill Will
October 11, 2019
Secrets from Seventeen Years of Long Island Night
Aly Fogel
, Arts Editor
October 4, 2019
An Obie Recommends: “Night in the Woods” Video Game
Kirsten Heuring
October 4, 2019
Gamelan and Bali Dance Group Perform at Finney Chapel
Rachel Fang
October 4, 2019
Jordanian-Palestinian Band 47SOUL Performs at ‘Sco
Carson Dowhan
, Senior Staff Writer
October 4, 2019
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![An Oberlin resident of over 13 years, Faculty in Residence at La Casa Hispánica and Lecturer Yorki J. Encalada Egúsquiza noticed a lack of Latinx representation and cultural celebration as time went by. After talking with Krista Long, the owner of Ben Franklin, last year, Encalada Egúsquiza and Long resolved to start a tradition: an annual festival celebrating Latinx culture.
The second Latino Festival took place last Friday at Ben Franklin through the combined effort of the Hispanic Studies department, Ben Franklin, La Casa Hispanica, Catrina’s Tacos y Margaritas, and Lupitas Mexican Restaurant. The festival included traditional Latinx music sung by Conservatory students, food, and cultural activities including artifact tables and language games about colloquialisms from different countries. There was an impressive turnout, with attendees from both the town and campus.
This year’s festival expanded on the first and also made some major strides.
“One of my program assistants, who is vegan, wanted to provide more food for people with different diets,” Encalada Egúsquiza said. “We also had different countries represented this year.”
Long expressed her enthusiasm about hosting such events at Ben Franklin.
“I would like to see more festivals like this surrounding other cultural groups, and we are open to anybody who might want to host,” she said. “Ben Franklin is a great place for all the aspects [of] the community to me, and I always feel so privileged to be hosting something like that.”
Encalada Egúsquiza is excited about the potential for the annual festival’s ongoing development.
“I know there is not a large Latino population [in the City of] Oberlin, but hopefully in the College there are some, so my hope is to have the festival outdoors and to have help from more people,” he said. “We have all the good intentions — we are just hoping [the event] will grow with time."](https://oberlinreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/LatinxFestival_Rev.Dr_.BrianKWilbert_WEB-900x618.jpg)
![One of the most respected Balinese performing companies, Çudamani, came to Oberlin to perform in Finney Chapel last Tuesday. The 18-member company is internationally recognized, and their Oberlin performance was part of their world tour. The group name Çudamani means “to do something with your whole heart without expecting something in return,” according to the group’s website. Watching their performance, it’s easy to see this goal come to life through their passion.
The performance integrated costumes, dancing, vocal performances, and Gamelan, which is music played using traditional Indonesian instruments. Each of their performances had a specific theme. “Teruna Gandrung” showcases a tradition of challenging gender norms, featuring women in energetic, fearless, and powerful roles. Another piece called “Ramayana Wayang Wong” featured two people dressed in red and yellow, wearing masks. The story followed twin brothers who jumped into a pool of water while fighting over a chalice. After they fell into the water, they turned into monkeys.
There were also sections in which dancers improvised their movements and signaled to the percussionists to change the tempo and melody. In order to communicate while on stage, performers made eye contact with each other and smiled.
“We are told to put ourselves into the story but not just technical movements, so we don’t practice with mirrors, because my teacher said that it is better to feel your partner than watch them in the mirror,” said Dewa Ayu Eka Putri, one of the dancers and the group’s secretary.
In addition to performing, Çudamani holds workshops wherever they tour including at Oberlin this past week.
“Çudamani told not only traditional dramas but also shared stories about their community and philosophy of collective care,” College fourth-year Kara Nepomuceno, a Dance major studying Southeast Asian dance, wrote in an email to the Review. “In [the] workshop held on Wednesday morning, Associate Director Emiko Saraswati Susilo described how the group collectively owns the instruments at their home base of Banjar Pengosekan.”
The group also has permanent summer programs in Bali that teach people about their dances and instruments in order to preserve their traditions and spread knowledge of their culture.](https://oberlinreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/GamelanDance_OfficeofComms_WEB-900x577.jpg)
