Women from the Organization for Arab Students rushed the stage in sequined skirts and were quickly joined by male dancers in jackets, ties and traditional Arab headdresses, called kaffiyehs, on Friday afternoon.
The group performed an Arab wedding dance, as over 800 students cheered them on at the International Fiesta in the Student Union.
"With the war going on, we have to do all we can to keep people celebrating the beauty of Arab culture," said performer Hanan Harb, a junior English and psychology double major.
Seventeen SA organizations presented eclectic cultural stage shows for the crowd, after a multicultural buffet was offered early in the afternoon.
"A lot of students are blind to the number of SA clubs there are at UB," said Kelly Carmen, a senior geography major and host of the International Fiesta.
"The fiesta lets everyone see how every one else gets down."
Greorgios Karamikolos, a chemical engineering graduate student, performed a dance with fellow Pan-Hellenic SA members. He said the challenge to performing was deciding on an appropriate representation of Greek culture.
"There are over 3,000 dances in Greece, some old, some new," said Karamikolos. "Every village has its own. We did our best to give the audience a good sample of what Greece has to offer."
The International Fiesta's opening act was performed by 11 members of the Malaysian SA, who sat in two rows facing the crowd and sang "Dikir Barat," a song that celebrates the courage of tribal warriors.
Jessica Tan, a junior chemical engineering major and Malaysian SA performer, described their exhibition as "a lot of wrist action and clapping."
Tan said she was thankful for the increased enthusiasm for the International Fiesta this year.
"We are lucky to have so many more interested students than last year and so many people in the audience," Tan said.
The female dance troupe from the Indian SA drew the biggest reaction from the fiesta crowd. Their routine involved mock battles with colorful orange dowels.
"These ISA women here are grade-A marvelous," said Meet Sheth, a senior business major, who observed the dance from the second floor of the Student Union.
Stephen Procyk, a freshman undecided major, represented the Ukrainian SA and performed a freestyle Ukrainian dance.
Procyk said his routine involved traditional moves like prishitka, or low kicks executed from a sitting position. However, Procyk said he choreographed the dance by himself.
"I made up my own steps," said Procyk. "My thighs almost gave out on me at the end, but it was a lot of fun."
Procyk said he has taken Ukrainian dance lessons since grammar school, and some other performers at International Fiesta also have honed their style since childhood.
"I've been listening to Irish music since I was a kid," said Daniel Whalen, a freshman undecided major.
Whalen, a member of the Irish SA, said he started bagpipe lessons when he was 9 years old. During the fiesta, he put his bagpipe skills to use and played a medley of Irish folk songs.
Kevin Oh, a member of the Korean Folk Art club, said the best part of International Fiesta was the feeling of performing for a large crowd.
"There was no way to be prepared for the crowd, but it was a rush," said Oh.
The group performed a Korean farming song with a gong, to represent thunder, and double-sided drums known as ajangoo to represent rain.
The Pakistani Student Association performed the last act of the night. When the Pakistani SA performers hooked legs with each other and started to twirl, one observer shouted, "It's bhungra time!"
At the end of their performance PSA members poured off the stage and started bhungra dancing with members of the crowd.
"International Fiesta is the best show at UB," said Pakistani SA President Ali Nawab. "Every year it gets turned up a notch."
Lisa Murowski, a junior industrial engineering major, said the International Fiesta reminded her of studying abroad in Japan.
"I love events like this because they give me the chance to relive that international feeling," Murowski said.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
