Wednesday, August 19th, 2026

Spectrum

Culture takes center stage at Richmond’s 3rd annual International Dance Festival

August 19, 2026

Sadie Porter, Contributing Writer Traditional dancers from over 18 countries, spanning from India to China to Mexico, congregated at the Cultural Arts Center at Glenn Allen on Aug. 15 for the 3rd annual Richmond International Dance Festival as a celebration of diversity and community. From only representing a mere five countries at the first festival, to 16, to finally this year representing a total of 18 countries, the Richmond International Dance Festival has reached its largest audience yet.  Culture Encounters presented the event — a nonprofit organization that aims to bring immigrants in the Richmond region together. The immersive experience includes community dinners, school visits and workplace programs. Amma Gatty, founder and executive director of Culture Encounters has seen the changes firsthand, starting out as an art summer camp for kids before shifting its focus to the exploration of cultures. “The idea is for immigrants and locals to have spaces where they can truly connect and engage with each other,” Gatty said.  As culturally diverse as Richmond is, ethnic groups are separate into their own communities, isolating different cultural groups, according to Gatty.   The dance festival highlighted the importance of multi-cultural appreciation within the city of Richmond with community members

Punks, ravers come together for moshing, mutual aid

April 29, 2026

Cora Perkins, Assistant Spectrum Editor It was a normal day in Scuffletown Park, the birds were chirping, the flowers were blooming and the punks and ravers were moshing and dancing.  Femmefest, a festival of DJs and hardcore punk bands, celebrated feminine-presenting people, both in and out of music.  Miles Dillahunt, vocalist of PlutoniumWomb and creator of the fest, wanted there to be a space for newcomers to become involved in the scene.  “I wanted to create a safe space for people who might be nervous to get involved with activism or shows due to their queerness or femme identity, just so that way they feel less alone and encouraged to go to more shows,” Dillahunt said.  A big motivator for the event was the reaction to a previous story by The CT about women in the hardcore scene in Richmond. The comments under the article spoke volumes to how many men in the scene feel about women speaking out against issues they face within the hardcore community, Dillahunt said.  “The comments were vile,” Dillahunt said. “Both Judas and Lexi received death threats for speaking on their lived experiences. A lot of the people in the comments aren’t even authentic punks,

Professor teaches VCU’s first Asian American history class 

April 29, 2026

Burke Loftus, Staff Photographer VCU’s Department of History now offers a new course, Intro to Asian American History, the first of its kind in the university’s history.  Second-year political science student Trina LaFortune is a Filipino American from Annandale, Virginia. Growing up in Northern Virginia, she said most of her knowledge of Asian American culture came from conversations with her family, who immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in the early 2000s, and other Asian immigrant families. “We only highlighted ‘Asian studies’ in junior and senior year, and that was the extent of it,” LaFortune said. “There [are] a lot of Asian people in NOVA. Even then, my education just had a narrow scope of what Asian American history was.”  In the fall of 2025, LaFortune’s focused inquiry professor, Frank Cha, announced to the class that he would be teaching an Intro to Asian American History course in the spring — asking students to email him if they were interested. “Part of me was like, ‘Oh my god, this is representation,’ but also part of me was like, ‘No, I think I’m just more curious to see what else I can learn,’” LaFortune said. “I wanted to see

Fourth annual Animation Festival brings international film to Richmond

April 29, 2026

Fakeha Naeem, Contributing Writer    The Richmond Animation festival started as a creative initiative of three artists and animators — Zack Williams, Jordan Bruner and Dash Shaw. This year marked their fourth festival, celebrating short films from artists all around the world and Q&As with awarded animators.  Williams enjoyed animation from a very early age and studied traditional animation, worked in commercials and later realized working in 3D allowed more creativity and gave more freedom. “We both got interested in animation when there wasn’t much awareness of animation and independent films, we just wanted to recreate those instances where people would come out and see films and share our passion, which is very important,” Williams said. “I looked into animation as another medium, pushing it into the fine art space. We are taking our shared appreciation for that kind of animation into the festival.”  Bruner, a VCU alumnae and Williams’ partner, started as an illustration major but transitioned into animation. Bruner discovered the work of Martha Colburn, an artist whose work was based on puppetry, animation and stop motion which Bruner found fascinating.  “I felt like those two worlds fuse together in a way that felt exciting,” Bruner said.  The husband

Culture takes center stage at Richmond’s 3rd annual International Dance Festival

Spectrum Editor August 19, 2026

Sadie Porter, Contributing Writer Traditional dancers from over 18 countries, spanning from India to China to Mexico, congregated at the Cultural Arts Center at Glenn Allen on Aug. 15 for the 3rd annual Richmond International Dance Festival as a celebration of diversity and community. From only representing a mere five countries at the first festival, to 16, to finally this year representing a total of 18 countries, the Richmond International Dance Festival has reached its largest audience yet.  Culture Encounters presented the event — a nonprofit organization that aims to bring immigrants in the Richmond region together. The immersive experience includes community dinners, school visits and workplace programs. Amma Gatty, founder and executive director of Culture Encounters has seen the changes firsthand, starting out as an art summer camp for kids before shifting its focus to the exploration of cultures. “The idea is for immigrants and locals to have spaces where they can truly connect and engage with each other,” Gatty said.  As culturally diverse as Richmond is, ethnic groups are separate into their own communities, isolating different cultural groups, according to Gatty.   The dance festival highlighted the importance of multi-cultural appreciation within the city of Richmond with community members gathered outside in the summer heat to support their family and friends. “Every place has its own love language, whether that’s through food, language, culture or dance,” said Matthew Davenport, a festival attendee. Seeing people from all cultures and identities come together in one place and sharing how they celebrate is meaningful, according to Davenport. This kind of event encourages people to tap into their own cultural identity and allows individuals to show their appreciation for other countries’ traditions, Davenport said.  “There’s a lot of different opportunities for folks to kind of pick up a new hobby or learn something new,” said Christina Steward, a festival attendee.  Eric Luu, an experienced break dancer of 15 years, represents breaking and was a returning performer at the International Dance Festival, not representing a specific country. From an early age, Luu had a lot of energy and was drawn to music, often dancing along and imitating moves he saw on television and the internet. He knew breaking was his niche after watching “America’s Best Dance Crew” and learning from a friend of his cousin. Since then, Luu has competed nationally along the East Coast as a member of his own dance crew, Mystical

Culture takes center stage at Richmond’s 3rd annual International Dance Festival

August 19, 2026

Sadie Porter, Contributing Writer Traditional dancers from over 18 countries, spanning from India to China to Mexico, congregated at the Cultural Arts Center at Glenn Allen on Aug. 15 for the 3rd annual Richmond International Dance Festival as a celebration of diversity and community. From only representing a mere five countries at the first festival, to 16, to finally this year representing a total of 18 countries, the Richmond International Dance Festival has reached its largest audience yet.  Culture Encounters presented the event — a nonprofit organization that aims to bring immigrants in the Richmond region together. The immersive experience includes community dinners, school visits and workplace programs. Amma Gatty, founder and executive director of Culture Encounters has seen the changes firsthand, starting out as an art summer camp for kids before shifting its focus to the exploration of cultures. “The idea is for immigrants and locals to have spaces where they can truly connect and engage with each other,” Gatty said.  As culturally diverse as Richmond is, ethnic groups are separate into their own communities, isolating different cultural groups, according to Gatty.   The dance festival highlighted the importance of multi-cultural appreciation within the city of Richmond with community members gathered outside in the summer heat to support their family and friends. “Every place has its own love language, whether that’s through food, language, culture or dance,” said Matthew Davenport, a festival attendee. Seeing people from all cultures and identities come together in one place and sharing how they celebrate is meaningful, according to Davenport. This kind of event encourages people to tap into their own cultural identity and allows individuals to show their appreciation for other countries’ traditions, Davenport said.  “There’s a lot of different opportunities for folks to kind of pick up a new hobby or learn something new,” said Christina Steward, a festival attendee.  Eric Luu, an experienced break dancer of 15 years, represents breaking and was a returning performer at the International Dance Festival, not representing a specific country. From an early age, Luu had a lot of energy and was drawn to music, often dancing along and imitating moves he saw on television and the internet. He knew breaking was his niche after watching “America’s Best Dance Crew” and learning from a friend of his cousin. Since then, Luu has competed nationally along the East Coast as a member of his own dance crew, Mystical

Punks, ravers come together for moshing, mutual aid

April 29, 2026

Cora Perkins, Assistant Spectrum Editor It was a normal day in Scuffletown Park, the birds were chirping, the flowers were blooming and the punks and ravers were moshing and dancing.  Femmefest, a festival of DJs and hardcore punk bands, celebrated feminine-presenting people, both in and out of music.  Miles Dillahunt, vocalist of PlutoniumWomb and creator of the fest, wanted there to be a space for newcomers to become involved in the scene.  “I wanted to create a safe space for people who might be nervous to get involved with activism or shows due to their queerness or femme identity, just so that way they feel less alone and encouraged to go to more shows,” Dillahunt said.  A big motivator for the event was the reaction to a previous story by The CT about women in the hardcore scene in Richmond. The comments under the article spoke volumes to how many men in the scene feel about women speaking out against issues they face within the hardcore community, Dillahunt said.  “The comments were vile,” Dillahunt said. “Both Judas and Lexi received death threats for speaking on their lived experiences. A lot of the people in the comments aren’t even authentic punks,

Professor teaches VCU’s first Asian American history class 

April 29, 2026

Burke Loftus, Staff Photographer VCU’s Department of History now offers a new course, Intro to Asian American History, the first of its kind in the university’s history.  Second-year political science student Trina LaFortune is a Filipino American from Annandale, Virginia. Growing up in Northern Virginia, she said most of her knowledge of Asian American culture came from conversations with her family, who immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in the early 2000s, and other Asian immigrant families. “We only highlighted ‘Asian studies’ in junior and senior year, and that was the extent of it,” LaFortune said. “There [are] a lot of Asian people in NOVA. Even then, my education just had a narrow scope of what Asian American history was.”  In the fall of 2025, LaFortune’s focused inquiry professor, Frank Cha, announced to the class that he would be teaching an Intro to Asian American History course in the spring — asking students to email him if they were interested. “Part of me was like, ‘Oh my god, this is representation,’ but also part of me was like, ‘No, I think I’m just more curious to see what else I can learn,’” LaFortune said. “I wanted to see

Fourth annual Animation Festival brings international film to Richmond

April 29, 2026

Fakeha Naeem, Contributing Writer    The Richmond Animation festival started as a creative initiative of three artists and animators — Zack Williams, Jordan Bruner and Dash Shaw. This year marked their fourth festival, celebrating short films from artists all around the world and Q&As with awarded animators.  Williams enjoyed animation from a very early age and studied traditional animation, worked in commercials and later realized working in 3D allowed more creativity and gave more freedom. “We both got interested in animation when there wasn’t much awareness of animation and independent films, we just wanted to recreate those instances where people would come out and see films and share our passion, which is very important,” Williams said. “I looked into animation as another medium, pushing it into the fine art space. We are taking our shared appreciation for that kind of animation into the festival.”  Bruner, a VCU alumnae and Williams’ partner, started as an illustration major but transitioned into animation. Bruner discovered the work of Martha Colburn, an artist whose work was based on puppetry, animation and stop motion which Bruner found fascinating.  “I felt like those two worlds fuse together in a way that felt exciting,” Bruner said.  The husband

Lesbian Field Day enriches Richmond

April 29, 2026

Alessandra Caceres Mendoza, Contributing Writer Pink and orange hues decorated all corners of Abner Clay Park as queer spirit radiated among the smiles of lesbian participants, while cheerleaders dressed in their unique outfits applauded those in the midst of a decisive round of tug-of-war. Lesbians of diverse backgrounds gathered at the park Saturday for Lesbian Field Day, an outdoor community gathering organized by VCU first-year students Denisha Chisolm, Samaya Waldo and Danny Williams. Chisolm, Waldo and Williams have hosted other events centered around strengthening community. In October studs, mascs and butches faced off in Monroe Park for their Performative Stud Competition, and just this month they hosted Sapphic Baby Oil Wrestling at Babes of Carytown. This butch vs. femme-themed event featured competitive activities like tug-of-war, potato-sack racing and a water-balloon fight. These two prominent lesbian identities teamed up and clashed in friendly competition throughout the day in pursuit of prizes, notably carabiners — a simple object that has become a recognized symbol within the community.   Participation in the activities required attendees to be 18 or older. Although catered towards lesbians, the event was open for all to enjoy. Abner Clay Park is within walking distance of the Gladding Residence

Summer events in Richmond to look out for

April 29, 2026

Rachel Nicholas, Staff Writer Summer is coming full blast to Richmond and there are many things to do across the city. Whether you are planning ahead or just taking things one day at a time, something is always happening.  From VCU and its surrounding neighborhoods to across the James River, there is an event for everyone. Here are a few to start with. Dance the night away at Maymont Park Celebrating 100 years and hosting its annual summer concert series, Maymont’s spokesperson Melissa Abernathy said the goal is to “create a space where people can slow down and experience both music and landscape together.”  Expect picnics spread across the lawn accompanied by a plethora of musical talent — upcoming shows to include the Punch Brothers and Carbon Leaf — as well as different tours of the gardens that surround the Gilded Age mansion.  More information about their events can be found on their website, maymont.org. Refresh and relax with local watermelons It would not be summer in Richmond without the Carytown Watermelon Festival. Organized by Three One One Productions and held every August, the festival has grown from a neighborhood gathering into a citywide tradition with arts and craft vendors,

Zack Fox gets VCU moving at annual RamFest

April 26, 2026

Maeve Bauer, Spectrum Editor  Zack Fox — actor, rapper, DJ and comedian — dazzled nearly 1,000 people at the Activities Programming Board’s 2026 RamFest at the VCU Student Commons plaza on Thursday.  The APB hosts events for students all year round, and usually ends the school year off with a celebration headlined by big-name artists. Last year, they hosted their take on a Tiny Desk concert headlined by Rico Nasty, with opener Jay Irvine who performed again this year.  Irvine was accompanied by Kwajo and SH1NOB1 on mic, with Aidan Kohn playing guitar and Justin Dono mixing it up on the sound board.  Dono is 22 and started experimenting with DJing 11 years ago alongside Irvine.  “This is crazy, like we actually almost made it. You know? The DJ set I was using was like a CDJ mixing setup. That was my dream setup when I was a 6th grader. So this is a full circle thing,” Dono said.  The events are a part of the APB’s annual Havoc Week, a tradition to round-out the end of the school year. In 2023 they invited Young Nudy to headline, took a break from the big names in 2024 and then started

Richmond Ren Faire brings jubilant display of grassroots artistry, craftsmanship

April 23, 2026

Maeve Bauer, Spectrum Editor  Once upon a time peddlers, paupers, painters, pirates, poets and a plethora of ye ole Renaissance faire goers paraded the ground of Dorey Park — henceforth marking April 18 and 19 as the first Richmond Ren Faire.  It is safe to say the folks of RVA had a jolly good time at the inaugural event, through rain and shine, as over 14,000 guests attended between both days. The Richmond Ren Faire was brought to the community by Virago Alley and supported by a roundtable of Richmond nonprofits.  The faire was the brainchild of Amanda Robinson, founder of Virago Alley, Gallery5 and now the Richmond Ren Faire. She has been heavily awarded for her work within the city’s art scene and her persistent dedication to convening communities in the name of creativity.  Virago Alley is a nonprofit organization set on the quest to bring people together and share knowledge and skill. They ultimately plan on opening a community center equipped for combat training, archery and workshops teaching a variety of historical trades. The Richmond Ren Faire was focused on the tradespeople and artisans who encompassed the Renaissance Era. It was split into 12 unique guilds, all specializing