Where Cultures Collide

"I find music is one of the only things that breaks down walls and borders in between cultures that have any kind of hate for each other," says Berge Sahakian in the "Where Cultures Collide" segment on "Transcendent Music." Sahakian is part of a community of DJ/producers who are intertwining traditional music with modern, electronic beats.

Known as the "art of eight limbs," muay thai engages fists, knees and so much more. The fighting sport originated in Thailand, where it's immensely popular and has gained momentum across the globe for its melding of martial arts and boxing moves.

"At the beginning, when I opened, maybe 90 or 100% of the clientele was Latino," says Charles Guelperin, a santero, or priest in the religion of Santeria. Today, Guelperin explains in "Where Cultures Collide," his practice is changing and his clients are "people from many different countries."

In Polynesian cultures, tattoos are an ancient custom used to signify rites of passage and milestones in life. Here, director Carolina Sosa follows Southern California tattoo artist Sulu'ape Si'i Liufa, who is of Samoan descent, in his continuation of Polynesian style tattoos, spelled tatau. Liufa largely adheres to the traditional methods of inking human canvases and works in hours-long sessions.

Zaffa is a wedding procession filled with music and dance and can include elaborate costumes as well. It's a custom with a long history in Arabic cultures and the tradition continues today in Southern California where performance groups are hired to lead the zaffa at weddings.