The first International Dance Night of the Spring Semester will offer a place for students to connect with their cultures and introduce and share it with others.
Todd Fry said he believes most locals acknowledge the presence of the international community in Athens but don’t seek an understanding of their cultures.
Fry hopes that a connection can be made at International Dance Night.
On Friday at 10 p.m., students from India, Bangladesh, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and more will come together at Casa Nueva to experience a piece of their cultures that is rarely found in America.
Several years ago, the tradition of International Dance Night ended when the event’s previous disc jockey, DJ Self Help, moved to New York City.
In early 2015 when Fry, an 1998 Ohio University alumnus with no DJ experience, inquired if Casa had a new DJ, he was immediately offered the job. Since then, Fry has hosted about two international dance nights per semester.
“I always had an interest in international music,” Fry said.
Even before traveling to Mexico through OU, Fry was learning Portuguese and Spanish, which encouraged his international appreciation.
“As I started to travel, I saw how important, how integral (music) was to Latin cultures,” he said.
Connecting his experiences abroad to those back in Athens, he said it made sense that every time he went to International Dance Night, he saw such diverse students coming together.
“Imagine if you were in a really foreign place and your favorite song from home came on,” Fry said. “It would be awesome because it would give you a connection to your identity.”
Fry sees the DJ job as more of a service than a performance. He said he makes an effort to play what everyone else wants to hear. Students often put YouTube links on the event’s Facebook page or request songs in person.
Though his first interest was Latin music, Fry has used the opportunity to expand his knowledge of music, developing an understanding of the differences between East and West African music, learning more about India’s Bollywood and Iran’s Persian music.
“Over the past year, I’ve met a lot of (international students),” he said. “I see returning faces. I see new faces.”
Part of what keeps people coming, he said, is the excitement.
“When I play Bollywood songs, you’ll see people from India get up on stage ... Then some people will try to dance along,” he said.
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Abhilash Raichur, a second year graduate student studying computer science, said the dance night is one of the biggest events for international students because they become actively involved.
“This is the only event that is truly international,” Raichur said.
Fry said the domestic students that attend — tending to be internationally oriented, studying a language or having traveled — remind him of himself.
“I see many domestic … students as well. They are really great and try to dance. They are really open,” Mandana Sakhaii, an Iranian second year graduate student studying industrial engineering, said. “I think the events are a really good idea because they get to know our culture.”
In the future, Fry hopes to bring Ugata a social service group that performs West African music and dance. Fry said live music may foster a deeper connection and excitement in students.
“Even if they can’t really connect with the music themselves, the people around them can,” he said. “Maybe (International Dance Night) can facilitate a better connection and understanding.”
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