Once again the University Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will be filled with the sights, sounds and aromas from its diverse student population during the annual Culture Fest on Saturday, November 6 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the University Center. Culture Fest is free and open to the public.

This year’s event, titled “Voyage of Discovery,” is a day of celebrating and learning about different cultures. The event is hosted by the Islander Cultural Alliance, a student organization that celebrates cultural diversity. Featured events include a reading and book signing by Bret Anthony Johnston, author of Corpus Christi: Stories, and a performance by the Corpus Christi Concert Ballet. The event will also feature live music and cultural exhibits with items for sale.

A&M-Corpus Christi is a diverse campus with 130 International students from different locales such as India, Spain, Portugal, Japan, South America and African countries. Culture Fest is inspired by the different cultures represented on campus and University officials hope the event will inspire students to open up lines of communication about their backgrounds.

“Learning about the tradition and cultures that we encounter every day is the reason behind Culture Fest,” said Jan McKinney, coordinator of the Islander Cultural Alliance.

“The University’s students come from a multitude of backgrounds, and we hope this event will educate the students about each others’ culture,” said Deidra Graves, director of Student Activities.

Performers for the annual Culture Fest:

• Bret Anthony Johnston: Author of Corpus Christi: Stories, will read from his nationally published book of short stories and will follow with a question and answer segment and book signing.
  
• Corpus Christi Concert Ballet: Chartered as a nonprofit organization in 1976 under the direction of Nancy Sulik, the Corpus Christi Concert Ballet has provided many seasons of diverse classical ballet and contemporary dance productions and educational programs for the Coastal Bend of Texas.
  
• Latin Talk: A quintet with a unique brand of Latin Salsa is receiving enormous attention in South Texas. Their influences range from Strunz and Farah to Tito Puente to the Gipsy Kings and everything in between.
  
• Tejano Academy of Fine Arts: A non-profit agency that utilizes the arts and culture of Texas as discipline to work with at-risk young people. Programs use music and dance to develop the parent and child relationship through positive activities.
   
• Capura Ginga Capoeira: This Brazilian martial art combines dancing and acrobatics with more traditional moves such as kicks, spins, blocks and feints. Developed during the era of slavery in Brazil, it is a game, dance and a battle set to the rhythm of the berimbau, a one-stringed, bowlike instrument.
  
• Ballet Folklorico Viva Mexico: Strives to preserve and share the Mexican culture with students and the public by upholding the authenticity of dance, traditional costuming and style.
  
• A&M-Corpus Christi Middle Eastern Dance Club
  
• Dazantes de la Isla
  
• Karankawa Native American Dance Team
  
• Shireem’s Mystic Belly Dancers and Drummers
  
• Pacific Islanders