The fast feet of the fire-red dressed Latino dancers twirled across the stage to loud salsa music. The enticing cries of excitement and applause echoed from the audience.
On Sunday, the International Student Association hosted the 37th annual celebration known as International Night. International Night brought together an array of international cuisine, talent and entertainment for students and people of all ages. It is ISA’s largest event of the year and the grand finale of International Week.
“The world is one. We belong to earth,” ISA co-director Alberto de Melo Albuquerque said in his opening remarks for the evening.
The theme of the night was “Pangea.” Two-hundred million years ago, Pangea was the only continent, but eventually drifted apart. The intent of International Night was to bring together the unique customs and cultures of the divided continents.
Publicity co-head and ISA member Jung-Chang Cheng said by bringing the continents together, the night celebrated diversity.
“We need to know more about this world’s cultures and how different we are, and how similar we are,” said Tom Mills, director of the Office of International Education and Exchange.
The event featured international food dishes prepared by students from more than 45 countries around the world.
Cindy Lee, a junior studying linguistics at the University, said she came to International Night to have fun. She said it is a good experience to learn about different cultures.
“I attended International Night last year, but the food was better this year, especially the desserts,” Lee said.
Following the sit-down dinner, students performed a two-hour stage show depicting different cultures. The opening performance included four dancers in a spectacular traditional Indian culture dance.
The audience participated with a cultural version of “Who wants to be a millionaire?” Throughout the night, spectators were dazzled with cultural activities such as a native Hawaiian dance, a solo traditional Chinese fan dance, the French Cancan and a Chinese fashion show.
“We are such an internationally diverse campus, and we want students to realize that we contribute to diversity on campus,” Program Coordinator Ilona Widyastuti Wirasmini Widjojo said.
The ISA events were a $22,000 production, which ISA members devoted countless hours and volunteer time to prepare.
“The volunteers have not only met our expectations in commitment and dedication, they have exceeded it,” ISA co-director Haya Shalini Matsumoto said. “The students have put their hearts and souls into the largest cultural event on campus. We are very happy that students from literally around the world worked together to put on such a successful and splendid program.”
On Friday, as part of International Week, the ISA also hosted the World Game workshop in the Student Recreation Center.
The concept of the World Game was conceived by American architect and inventor Buckminster Fuller as a constructive alternative to military war games.
The workshop was presented by the World Game Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization established in 1972.
In the World Game, enemies are not another nation, race or religion but problems such as hunger, illiteracy and disease. The four-hour workshop, played on a 70-foot by 35-foot map, allowed participants to create a microcosm of the world. Teams represented international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
Props representing resources such as food, energy and technology were distributed to students according to current statistics. The players were responsible for meeting basic human needs. In the three dynamic rounds, players had the opportunity to interact and engage in trading, developing strategies and creative problem-solving.