VENTURA : Students Are Moved by Cultural Event

A Polynesian rhythm echoed across the campus of Ventura College on Monday as six barefoot dancers shook their hips to the beat of percussion instruments.

Draped in patterned skirts adorned with long strands of grass and wearing red feather-boa headdresses, the dancers moved to the music from a live band, Tina’s Ports of Paradise, making it difficult for onlookers to sit still.

The dancers were among several performing groups that appeared on the first day of the college’s annual three-day Cultural Faire. Monday’s festivities drew more than 500 people, co-chairman Cory Friend said.

The purpose of the fair is “to broaden the cultural horizons of the Ventura College students and entertain them,” Friend said. The Polynesian band seemed to do just that for student Ed Morales, 19, of Oxnard.

The music “makes me want to leave school and go to Hawaii,” said Morales, who was working at a booth for the Ventura College International Club.

The International Club’s function is similar to the fair’s--to bring different cultures together to learn about each other, said member Heather Rose, 21.

Fair performers include speakers, musicians, comedians and dancers, all representing different countries and cultures. Today’s entertainers will include a mariachi band, Aztec dancers and karate demonstrators.

Friend said this year’s event, sponsored by the Associated Student Body, is bigger than last year’s. Organizers had $6,200 to spend on this year’s festivities, compared with $4,700 last year.

The fair also offers food sales to benefit various college clubs, and sales of clothing, jewelry and artwork from countries such as Africa, Ecuador and Peru. The fair will continue today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.