As @LuckyGuy suggested, think canapes, yum cha or tapas. The idea isn’t something new. We do this for our Christmas evening meal. We have a big breakfast and don’t want to each much after that. So we now all cook a dish that can be shared by everyone, but that doesn’t form part of a formal, sit-down meal. We do have some ham, seafood available, but we also have some small dishes to share. Each dish can be quite different.
Whether it is acceptable would depend on how you frame the meal. If you present it as a sit-down, formal dinner, I think it would come across as quite odd. If you present it as a series of informal tasting plates that are passed around for people to participate or not in, that would work.