Sharing Culture
Nineveh Performance Group
International Food Night at Holden Elementary School
By Jenna Abroo
Culture is one of the many things that we can all relate to and find community in. No matter what country or ethnicity, we are all able to celebrate where we come from in our own unique ways. One way that many cultures celebrate their heritage is with food.
All countries, ethnic groups, and identities connect with their cultural dishes. Different types of cuisine showcase generations and generations of traditional recipes passed down from families to their children. Our Chaldean community is a culture that is no stranger to connecting with each other through cuisine; holidays and family dinners involve long tables filled with dolma, kuba, kabobs, tourshi, and mounds of klecha.
Oftentimes we find ourselves gravitating towards food as the ultimate unifier. It provides an opportunity for communities to get together and foster strong relationships with one another.
The community at Holden Elementary School is no exception. Located in Sterling Heights in the Warren Consolidated Schools District, the student population is a bright and beautiful display of various ethnic diversities. While having a assorted demographic, a large percentage of our student population come from Chaldean and West Asian/North African descent. Many of our staff members, including special education paraprofessionals, language acquisition aides, and lunch room supervisors, are Chaldean parents whose children attend the school/district.
Through the years, many Chaldean families have called Holden Elementary their school home, raising their kids alongside other Chaldean students. Special education aide Jennifer Jarjis is one example.
Jarjis started out as a Holden parent with her daughter Isabella, then lunch mom/former PTO member, and now works in our Emotional Impaired Special Education classroom. This school year, she revived our school’s formerly closed Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and was elected as president. She has been part of the PTO for quite a long time, and “loves seeing the students happy and excited when we plan fun activities like popcorn Fridays and after school movie nights.”
One long-standing Holden tradition has been International Food Night, where families and staff members are encouraged to bring a dish from their cultural background to all share in a meal together with their families after school hours. Jarjis continues by explaining this most recent event is meant to “strengthen the school’s community events, bringing families, teachers, and staff together by highlighting the different cultures and understanding all of our backgrounds through cuisines.”
This year, many traditional Chaldean and Iraqi dishes found their way to the table, like Mrs. Jarjis’ homemade dolma, tabbouli, pita bread, falafel, tourshi, khahee bread with geymar, kabobs, olive cheese pies, and trays of baklava for dessert. “Sharing my Chaldean culture and heritage with other Chaldean families and students at Holden means more than just talking about where we come from,” explains Jarjis. “It’s about passing down our traditions, sharing our language and customs—all of that starts with our food.”
Holden 1st/2nd grade teacher and PTO Secretary Michelle Clarke beautifully echoes the mission that President Jarjis shares. Clarke has been a teacher with Warren Consolidated since 2010, and even throughout layoffs and switching around to other schools, she managed to come back and always considered Holden her home.
Clarke believes that the PTO’s mission and events like International Food Night are meant to strengthen the community bond while also supporting the students. “We have such a beautiful and diverse population,” she says, “and want to ensure that all feel that they have a voice and value.”
Clarke goes on to say that she feels this event is a great example of how food is something that always seems to bring everyone together. “This night is a way for our families to share joy, while enjoying amazing foods from so many different cultures.”
The main highlight of the event was the exciting performance done by Nineveh Performance Group, led by WCS alumna Nadin Razoki. Razoki has been doing her part in keeping our Chaldean/Assyrian culture alive by teaching dance classes across the metro Detroit area for adults, children, and anyone interested in learning our traditional dances. With over 15 years of experience, she is well-versed in over 20 styles of traditional line dances.
She is also the director/choreographer for the Nineveh Performance Group, a dance ensemble in Michigan created to showcase Suraye heritage. They perform for wedding zaffes, dinner shows, and all kinds of special events with cause for celebration. We were lucky enough to host them at Holden for a special stage performance of traditional Chaldean/Assyrian dances while they were dressed in culturally modern costumes; they even gave our students a first-hand line dance lesson.
While many of our Chaldean students were in attendance, the stage was filled with students of all backgrounds dancing alongside the group and staff members dancing with each other throughout the cafeteria.
Fourth grader Liana Osachi attended with her mother and led the bagiye line for us, dancing all around. Osachi joyfully mentioned to me that the dancing was the best part of the entire night, and how much she loved leading our bagiye line, which is not an easy feat for a 10-year-old.
“Sharing my culture with my friends was so fun! I loved to see the big pot of dolma, and eating good food from our culture with my friends after school.” She ended our interview by saying that she is excited to see other kids learn our super fun dances, and even more happy to see Chaldean performers at her school. “I can’t wait for my mom to sign me up for Nadin’s dance class for kids this summer!”
Chaldean culture has always been a woven fabric of rich heritage passed down through hundreds of generations. To be able to share just a small piece of that with the Holden community has been a truly wonderful thing. International Food Night was just one example from the Chaldean culture and beyond of how food, music, dance, and heritage can bridge people together.
If you would like to bring this cultural experience to your own special occasion, Nineveh Performance Group is now accepting bookings for weddings, performances, and events. You can contact them through their Instagram @NinevehPerformance or their additional contact information listed here; (248) 274-6301, NinevehPerformance@gmail.com. To book dance lessons with Nadin, please visit her Instagram page @dancewithnadin.