Workshop highlights city's cultural diversity

     By Leanne Mieszala
     View staff writer
      Area children were recently given an opportunity to learn about the customs of people from other countries through a series of workshops, displays and performances highlighting the diversity of culture in Las Vegas.
      The Desert Breeze Community Center Celebration of Culture was held Dec. 21 through 23.
      Sharon Lopez, recreation program supervisor for the Department of Parks and Recreation, was the mastermind behind this first-time project.
      ""Typically during the holidays it's a pretty slow time with parks and recreation," Lopez said. "We just wanted to be able to keep people coming into the center and give them a reason to stop by."
      While Lopez interacts with various cultures on a daily basis as part of her job, she admits this is her first experience in trying to bring them all together.
      "I hope in future years this program will continue to grow and more people will get involved," she said. "I would love to give everyone an opportunity to display some of their culture."
      Some of the fair's exhibits included handmade menorahs representing the tradition of Hanakkah, a sculpture of a Phillipine native warrior, a miniature nippa hut symbolizing housing that can be found in the provinces of the Phillipine Islands and a hand-carved fish hook made of bone that was included in the Hawaiian display.
      In addition to these showcases of culture, a variety of workshops were offered to children to increase their awareness of the customs of other countries.
      Children were instructed on how to make their own dreidels, which are objects similar to a top but square-shaped with four sides. These sides contain specific instructions on what to do with pieces of candy each player has. The game is played by spinning these objects and following the directions written on the side it lands on. The person with the most candy at the end of the game wins.
      The youngsters also designed a mat they weaved together using red, green and black colors. The mat, called a mkeka, is associated with Kwaanza and has some symbolism affiliated with it.
      One of the performers that afternoon was celtic dancer Donna Brown. After dancing a reel step for the audience, Brown taught them a simple ceili, gaelic for dance, step.
      "There's nothing better than being able to teach the children about different cultures, and I was glad to be a part of it," said Brown, her English-Irish brogue very evident as she spoke.
      The audience was also entertained by colorful forms of Chinese folk dances performed by children under the direction of She-Fen Chen.
      Harold Morgan, whose Indian name is "Elk Dreamer," was on hand to play the Native American love flute used as a courting tool by the Indian culture.
      Morgan has been playing this handmade wooden flute for five years and performs publicly at an area bookstore once a month.
      His passion for this high-pitched wind instrument began after admiring the performances of Carlos Niki, a famous flute player. Morgan was convinced he was going to play just like Niki, if not better.
      Nigel and Shaun Fleming brought the crowd to their feet as they performed some tropical-flavored music called the Calypso Soce on their steel drums.
      Listeners couldn't help but dance when they heard the first notes of this form of music that is popular in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.
      "The music is all tuned into the steel, and the drums are played with little sticks that have rubber tips," said Nigel Fleming who has been playing for 15 years.
      While the calypso sounds quite similar to a popular form of Jamaican music known as reggae, it's actually very different.
      "True reggae is all about lyrics ... calypso is all instrumental and has no lyrics," said Shaun Fleming, who has 23 yeas experience playing steel drums. "The calypso also has a faster beat than reggae."
      While this style of music is well-known in Trinidad, Shaun Fleming finds it unusual that most people in the states have never even seen the instrument.
      Performing that afternoon as the Kinda Klassy Duo, the Fleming brothers are also members of a four-piece group called Geye that performs at the Hideaway Lounge at Treasure Island.
      Lopez was pleased with the success of this three-day event and hopes to make it an annual celebration within the community.
      "I'm already looking ahead to next year's presentation," Lopez said.