An evening to remember

International Festival a hit with non-stop entertainment, great food

November 19, 2008
By Armando Vega
Staff Writer

Last Sunday, UIS hosted the 31st Annual International Festival, an event that provided a venue for cultural exchange from the different regions of the world.

Photy by David Clary Dancers perform in Brookens Auditorium as a part of the 31st annual International Festival. This year's theme, "Harvest," was chosen to celebrate the season. In past years, the International Festival has been held in January.

Performances were hosted periodically in Brooken’s Auditorium while kiosks were set up along the lower-level PAC with information, activities, and food from all corners of the globe.

Africa and Europe were represented in the main concourse, just outside the cafeteria.  Booths and events showcasing Asia’s culture were hosted in Conference Room C/D, and the Americas hosted tables along the north concourse (the passageway connecting PAC and Brookens).

The International Fest turned up a massive crowd, with Brooken’s Auditorium and PAC C/D perpetually packed as new shows and events were put on.  One of the first events was Fusion, a dance featuring a hybrid performance of hip hop and traditional Indian dance.  Performers Mohini Ghale and Priyanka Deo (respectively, the hip-hop and Indian dancers) hadn’t run by any script: the ebbs and flows of their routines relied entirely on impromptu movements, spurred on by the rhythmic energy of the music.

Also performing was a group calling itself BAMF.  Formed two years ago for students wishing to participate in Indian-inspired dance, the group has swollen in size to impressive proportions.  They danced to the hit single “Om Shanti Om,” from one of India’s biggest pop-stars, Shah Rukh Kahn.

Popular shows held in Brookens Auditorium were dances put on by the Indian Student Organization.  Featuring music from the popular Bollywood movie “Bunty aur Babli,” students dressed in contemporary attire put on an energetic show that elicited fierce whooping and whistling from the audience.

African and European nations were represented at the event, with joloff rice, jerk chicken, and Hungarian meatballs proving huge hits with the crowd.  Song and dance from both continents were displayed, whether intermingled with the crowd or onstage at Brookens.

There were nations on display representing the Americas as well.  Among them was Brazil, a country which has given the world bossa nova and samba music and whose Sao Paulo ranks among the largest urban areas in the world.

Food featured in the Asian venue included biryani with curry, traditional Chinese and Thai food, and sugared yams.  Additional activities included displays of amateur swordsmanship put on by the Japanese Club, as well as having the opportunity to have one's name written in Chinese and Japanese characters.

Having lived in Okinawa, Japan, Katie Salter offered her views on cultural differences in living in Japan versus in the United States.

“The way people interact here; they’re a lot more forward,” she said.  “American’s are more informal.”

Discussing the popular culture in Japan, she remarked that “Japanese pop music is much more cheery.  It’s a more innocent culture. In America, it's more ‘sexy.’”

Photos by David Clary