The EMU was overrun Sunday night as members of the University community came out in force to demolish cultural misconceptions at the 40th Annual International Night.
More than 700 students, staff and community members were lucky enough to buy their tickets early enough to find seats in the EMU Ballroom — the event sold out by 6 p.m.
“I spent all my efforts looking for our performers, which are from all over the world,” International Night organizer Rihito Okonogi said. “It’s big, big, big.”
Romance Languages Graduate Teaching Fellow Tanya Flores, who attended the performance, said that what American students saw Sunday night, international students see every day.
“Hearing two to three languages on a daily basis is a reality for a lot of us on campus,” she said.
Several dancing groups took the stage to entertain the crowd with salsa dancing, Balinese, Thai and Nepalese dancing, and Thai and African singing.
The event also featured a dinner with foods from various countries and culminated in a show about a group of friends — who would normally be considered diverse because they were born outside the United States — learning to understand what difference really is.
The International Student Association organized the event and decorated the EMU with art from all over the world, as well as signs with commonly used street names from countries such as Brazil and Zimbabwe, to fit this year’s theme — 40th Street and Cultural Boulevard.
The meal included dishes such as shahi paneer from India, zuppa con pasta e ceci from Italy, mushroom rice from Japan and Japachae from Korea.
“This is a great opportunity for international students to represent their own cultures and countries — and for (U.S.) students, this is a great way to understand different cultures and diversity,” ISA spokesman Takenori Momiyama said.
The performance opened with a speech by ISA officers and Thomas Mills, associate vice president in the Office of International Programs.
“We’re very proud and lucky to have the international students that we do,” Mills said, adding that Eugene is a community dedicated to pulling down cultural barriers and welcoming students from a multitude of backgrounds.
More than 100 students volunteered to help create Sunday night’s venue for cultural expression, most of them international students.
Isaac Torres, a member of the University chapter of MEChA, a Chicano and Latino student union, and an usher at International Night, said that because he missed the event last year, he wanted to take part in this year’s production.
“There’s an environment here where it is safe to create dialogue from all over the world,” Torres said. “It’s a happy and joyous occasion.”