Regina pavilion brings together multicultural dancers for a 'little Mosaic within Mosaic'
For 6 years, Spirit of China has been a home to those who don't have their own pavilion
This story is part of a series from CBC Saskatchewan, featuring four stories from the 15 pavilions that are part of Mosaic 2025. For more, visit our Mosaic home page.
Among Regina's Mosaic pavilions, the Spirit of China stands out for its eclectic nature. The pavilion offers Chinese food, but the performances can range from kung-fu to belly-dancing to fiddling.
"The Spirit of China is kind of like the little Mosaic within Mosaic, because we have all these different cultures coming together and working together and learning from each other," said Ginger Merks, the artistic director in charge of performances at Spirit of China.
The Spirit of China pavilion opened in 2019 as a home for cultural groups without a dedicated pavilion, Merks said.
At the time, Merks thought it would be great to add a choreographed multicultural dance that would showcase Regina's diversity.
She reached out to her friend Barb Dedi, a fellow believer in the power of multiculturalism, to connect with different cultural groups and invite them to join. Dedi died in 2023, but the multicultural dance carries on and continues to evolve, bringing together different groups to showcase their dance traditions.
Merks described it as a powerful way for children and adults to come together to learn about each other's traditions, and said the audience seems to appreciate it as well.
"[We have] people coming up to us going, 'Wow, there is nothing like this out there. We've never seen cultures come together and perform like this and learn from each other,'" said Merks. "They are just so happy that they get to have the experience of watching this dance."
Chin dancers embrace Mosaic experience
Finy Iang, 25, lived in India for 16 years as a refugee after her family, part of the Chin ethnic group, fled Myanmar. When they got sponsored by their uncle to come to Regina, she didn't know what to expect when it came to keeping ties with her culture.
"At first, when I arrived here, I was lost. I did not expect to see young Chin people here," she said, flanked by fellow teens and Chin dancers Eden Zatlun and Esther Hlawnceu.
"But they are here. It's amazing."
Hlawnceu, 15, said she attended Mosaic last year, but didn't expect that she or fellow teens with Myanmar heritage would ever be part of it. Then she, Zatlun, and Iang were invited to join the multicultural dance at Spirit of China.
"I'm pretty sure I'm the first in my family to be performing on Mosaic; it's definitely a shocker for them," Hlawnceu said. "They're going to be proud."
Merks said she expects Dedi would be proud too, as someone who always believed in the power of multiculturalism to combat racism and loved the dance.
"She will always be with us. I'm sure she's doing the dance somewhere, wherever she's at peace."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
