Taste, tradition, and talent

From Eritrea to West Africa, and India to Guatemala, for one night, the Blair Auditorium was a free trip around the world. On Thursday, Dec. 18, Blair’s Student Government Association (SGA) hosted its annual international night. The event featured a diverse range of dance performances and songs, each representing a different culture from around the world. 

The SGA has invested a significant amount of time and energy into planning International Night, and the International Night committee is responsible for ensuring the night runs smoothly. They coordinate with businesses to make sure there is cuisine from a variety of different countries. They also organise the student performances and work on outreach within Blair. 

Senior Madina Kante worked with the rest of the SGA to organise a successful International Night. 

“At first, we divide up the responsibility, so we have people focused on every aspect,” Kante explains. “From there, we go through social media or reach out to club sponsors for performers.”

The night began with the introduction of the emcees and a welcome from Principal Monteleone before the performances began. 

The first act of the night took the crowd to India with an upbeat dance from Blair Bollywood. Their performance was full of fun, expressive movement, and a creative storyline, featuring a diverse range of music styles and remixes.

Senior Aanya Garg, a member of Blair Bollywood, had always loved the style of dance and decided to give performing a chance. “I’ve been really into Bollywood dance and Indian dance styles for a while, and I thought International Night would be a fun experience,” Garg said.

Cachiporras followed with a performance representing El Salvador. The traditional female dancers, decked out in white and blue, stunned the crowd with their impressive baton twirling and effortless rhythm.

Blair Dance Crew represented America, performing a stylish dance cover of “Gnarly”, a polarizing hit by the international girl group Katseye. Club Maya then performed a bright Guatemalan routine, featuring entertaining partner work and fun beats that energised the crowd. Then, senior Luca Horiuchi took the crowd to Japan, charming them with a rap.

The Conviteras brought the crowd back to Guatemala, dazzling the crowd with their energetic dance and colorful, vibrant traditional clothing — especially their masks. 

Kyara Lira Romero represented Venezuela, performing a graceful dance wearing a beautiful traditional white dress. Then, the Bantu dancers delivered a dynamic performance with clean, powerful lines and explosive movements.

The night ended with a vibrant performance by We the East, showcasing Eritrean and Ethiopian culture. They had long, well-choreographed pieces that not only showcased the culture but also the joy of Eritrea. 

Sophomore Leul Assefa describes why he enjoys performing with We the East.

“I joined We the East because it’s a part of my community and I wanted to be included,” Assefa states, “I know it was all worth it at the end.”

Then it was time for everyone’s favorite part: the food. There was cuisine from Jamaican Reggae Vibes Qzine, Chinese Red Maple, Ethiopian Shalla Restaurant, Peruvian El Pollo Rico, and Indian Curry Place.

Overall, and every year, performers and audience members find International Night to be a great experience where people are exposed to the artistic talent of Blair students as well as a wide variety of cultural food.

“All of our cultures can come together on one stage, it's so cool,” Sophomore Emma Mdjocke says, “You should definitely come next year.”