A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: July 10 All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be e-mailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Nick Young, photographer; Heather Darrow, special contributor; Luai Bseiso, special contributor.
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Middle Eastern culture showcased at college event
By Luai Bseiso
Special Contributor
The legend of One Thousand and One Nights came to life in an enchanting setting that included a great feast, folkloric Middle-Eastern dancing, fun and merriment for all.
The third annual One Thousand and One Night event sponsored by Collin’s Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA), the International Office and the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee was held at the Spring Creek Campus’ Atrium April 22.
Guests were greeted with a pamphlet that told of the origins of the One Thousand and One Night tales and the legend of Scheherazade and King Shahrayar.
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| MESA officers Ali Esmailjee, Solaleh Azimipour, Christina Akhavan, Sima Mizaei, Hisham Masri. | MESA officers Sima Mirzaei, Hisham Masri, Solaleh Azimapour, Aliasger Ismailjee, and Christina Arezu ushered guests to tables that were nicely decorated with candles, stars and sparklers arranged around the oasis of the Atrium’s fountain.
Middle-Eastern music played throughout the evening from countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Iran among others. Next came the opening of the great feast line that included a variety of Middle-Eastern favorites like tabouleh, humus, Iranian kebabs, lintel soup (Dahl) and Saffron rice, samosas, spinach pies, cheese pies, meat pies and pita bread. The feast was plentiful as many guest visited the line repeated times. Some guests had heard of some of these favorites, but, to many, this was their first time to experience such delights.
While enjoying their great feast, guests were treated to a fantastic show that began with a heart pumping, foot stomping Palestinian Dabkeh (folkloric dance) performed by the group, Salam (Peace).
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| The Middle Eastern Student Association One Thousand and One Night event featured food, music and belly dancers (above). | The highlight of the evening was when four princesses entertained the audience with the Middle-Eastern, time-honored form of physical expression and self discovery of belly dancing. The colorful performance brought the guests to their feet as they appreciated the art, elegance and beauty of this culture’s traditional dance.
During the entertainment portion of the show, to the delight of many, the dessert line was open, and guests scurried to the many types of Persian and Arabic pastries including everyone’s favorite, baklava. Having filled their appetites for food and dessert, the guests ventured out to the dance floor to attempt to dance to the beat of the Middle-Eastern music.
Door prizes were awarded to many guests and a belly-dancing competition was held for women of all ages. The fun and merriment lasted till the stroke of midnight, and for many, the evening was a mere snapshot of what life would have been like had they lived during the time of King Shahrayar and his beloved Scheherazade during the telling of the stories of One Thousand and One Nights.
For more information on MESA activities contact MESA@ccccd.edu or 972.516.5093.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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