The nationally-known comedian and actor Sinbad received the award for Cultural Artist of the Year from the Harvard Foundation for Race and Intercultural Relations on Saturday while his father, Reverend Dr. Donald Atkins, sat in the front row of Sanders Theatre with a camcorder.

"It was all going great until my battery went down," Atkins said.

The awards ceremony was the highlight of Cultural Rhythms, an evening of dance, music and food presented by the cultural groups of Harvard-Radcliffe to a packed Sanders Theatre.

The cultural performances were from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a food festival which lasted until about 7 p.m.

According to Dr. S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation and associate professor of neuroscience, the Foundation chose to honor Sinbad because he demonstrated "the best qualities of our society."

The audience was filled with families and school groups, whose applause testified to his multi-generational appeal.

Sinbad said that he normally doesn't believe in awards.

"If I was offered an Oscar, I wouldn't accept it," he said. "As I see it, it's just work--we do what we do. It means a lot to me that this award is for a humanitarian effort."

Sinbad also praised the afternoon's performances.

"The talent here is incredible, and it's incredible to see all of these cultures together at once," he said.

"This event should be at [pre-frosh] orientation, to show new students what there is at Harvard," Sinbad said.

Counter said he was pleased with the way Sinbad hosted the performances.

"I think Sinbad is one of the greatest hosts we've ever had," he said. "I think he brought even more talent out of the students."

Rita J. Maxwell '98, the stage manager for the cultural performances, said she was pleased with the event.

"It all went really smoothly," she said. "Sinbad was great, it was all a lot of fun."

Sulafa I. Bashir '99, a member of the Society of Arab Students, also said that time was an issue.