CORRECTION APPENDED

Actor and activist Laurence Fishburne and dozens of student groups dazzled more than 1,000 people in a colorful display of music and movement at the 22nd annual “Cultural Rhythms” show on Saturday.

The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations presented Fishburne with their 2007 Artist of the Year award during a sold-out show in Sanders Theatre.

“I feel better than anyone who’s going to win an Academy Award tomorrow,” said Fishburne. “And I feel a lot better than a whole bunch of my friends who went to that other school somewhere in Connecticut that rhymes with ale.”

“Cultural Rhythms” featured an afternoon and an evening show, with a total of 26 student groups performing.

When he arrived at the event, Fishburne was dressed simply in a black shirt and jeans. By the end of the first show, he had donned a crimson Harvard sweatshirt, a brown-tinted Kuumba scarf, and an armful of yellow roses.

The Emmy- and Tony-winning actor is no stranger to accolades. The Foundation chose Fishburne for his artistic talent and humanitarian efforts. He has been a UNICEF ambassador since 1997 and has worked to educate youth in Africa on HIV prevention.

“Fishburne’s interaction with students was impressive, and this was widely appreciated by students and faculty who gave me feedback,” Harvard Foundation Director Dr. S. Allen Counter said in a press release. “They adored him.” [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

Former Artists of the Year have included Salma Hayek, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, and Jackie Chan.

Fishburne’s blend of humor and sincerity was a hit with the audience. The actor, popular for his role as Morpheus in the “Matrix” movie franchise, repeatedly referenced the trilogy and praised the skills of every performer.

“I could fake the funk on the side, but I couldn’t break the beat,” Fishburne said after the Harvard Breakers’ performance, when a performer encouraged him to break a move.

Fishburne said he was happy to see the breadth of diversity and talent that students displayed.

“This is as beautiful a celebration of the human family as I have seen in a very long time,” Fishburne said. “I applaud you and share your feelings for our common humanity and the things that makes us one.”

Spoken Word Society performers Lucerito L. Ortiz ’10 and José G. Olivarez ’10 received special praise from Fishburne.

“He walked by just now and said that we were killing,” Ortiz said after the show.

Earlier in the day, members of the Kuumba Singers greeted Fishburne in song at Logan Airport. Over 100 people attended a roast for Fishburne in Kirkland House, which was followed by a luncheon with students.

“This is your last chance...you take the blue paper, the story ends, you wake up in New Haven and believe whatever you want to believe,” a Morpheus-imitating student at the roast said. “You take the red paper—you stay in Cambridge and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”

Following the afternoon show was an international food festival in the Science Center, which included delicacies like the Hawai’i Club’s butter mochi and the Irish-American Society’s homemade apple cake.

The ensuing evening show was hosted by Class Marshal Lauren N. Westbrook ’07 and Undergraduate Council Vice President Matthew L. Sundquist ’09, who added humor to the show by wearing a wig and throwing out T-shirts autographed by Fishburne.

Though “Cultural Rhythms” is over for the year, this may not be the last Harvard sees of Fishburne. During the show, Cambridge Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves ‘72 presented the actor with a key to the city so that “he can chill with us and hang out.”

Fishburne replied that he would make use of the gift this summer, when he will be in Boston filming a movie based on the book “The Alchemist.” [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

Interim University President Derek C. Bok, who attended the event, called Cultural Rhythms “one of the premier events that warms our hearts during these long Cambridge winters.”

“Diversity is a fine word, but it really comes alive in a location like this,” he added.

—Staff writer Doris A. Hernandez can be reached at dahernan@fas.harvard.edu.
—Staff writer Van Le can be reached at vle@fas.harvard.edu.

CORRECTION
Due to an editing error, the Feb. 25 story "Fishburne Draws Crowd to Sanders" incorrectly attributed a quote from Dr. S. Allen Counter to a press release. In fact, the quotes were obtained through a phone interview. The same story also incorrectly stated that the upcoming movie based on the book "The Alchemist" would bring Fishburne to Boston. The movie will in fact be filmed abroad, but Fishburne will be in Boston filming "21," a movie based on the book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions."