Showcasing our school’s diversity, students banded together at International Night to expose the audience to a plethora of the world’s cultures.
First up was a fashion show, hosted by the Muslim Student Association. Islamic music was playing while students strutted across the stage in traditional Muslim garb. The show revealed that ‘Muslim culture’ is not a monolith, and that each of the many countries represented had their own unique style.
Next up was Kankouran, a local West African dance company that travels around the area. They performed a traditional cultural drumming routine.
But the show wasn’t over yet. Kankouran was following up by a traditional wedding dance performed by our own Ethiopian-Eritrean club. Both boys and girls were dressed up in white, performing a ritual originating from their East African countries of ancestry.
To conclude the night, members of our school’s Hispanic community performed the Sabor Latino, a medley of the bachata, salsa, and meringue dances. The girls wore black dresses and the boys wore white dress shirts and black slacks as they danced across the stage in pairs.
The show was the result of tons of hard work from our students and teachers. After all, messing up in front of fellow students and parents would be embarrassing.
“There was a lot of pressure because we didn’t want to mess up in front of everyone, so we practiced a lot,” said junior Maleeha Rauf, who performed in the Muslim Fashion Show. “It was nerve-wracking because we wanted to get it just right.”
All the effort paid off, however. Organizing everything was difficult, yet performing it all was satisfying. Preparing for the big event required many after school rehearsals, but our students were up to the challenge.
“I think it’s always fun [to perform],” said Susan Lampazzi, Spanish teacher. “They’re so talented and they work really hard.”
One of the objectives of International Night was to educate the audience about cultures they normally don’t see. The vibrant, elaborate performances and the amount of cultures represented let those in the seats learn about customs and lifestyles they had never heard about, as well as clear up misconceptions.
“I liked that there were many different cultures represented and that they showed the things that they wear,” said junior Emily Vestal. “I thought it was pretty different.”
There was one disappointment, however, that more people didn’t come. The vast majority of the audience was close family and friends of the performers; they filled the first several rows of the auditorium.
“[I’d like people to know] that it’s worth the time and that we’d like for next year to be bigger so that we could promote more diversity,” said senior Daniella Montero, who took part in the Sabor Latino.
There are so many different types of people in WS. International Night shows that our school represents and appreciates culture of various types. The world is getting more and more diverse as we speak; International Night is just one small reflection of that.
“It was good because it showed everyone different types of diversity and other cultures,” said Rauf.