On Feb. 15, the undergraduate Student Association (SA) hosted International Fiesta (IF), an annual dance competition that allows culturally diverse student groups to celebrate their heritage. This year, hundreds of passionate performers flooded Center for the Arts’ main stage to proudly represent their origin.
The Bengali Student Association (BSA) took home IF’s first place trophy. BSA dedicated their performance to the youth of Bangladesh who fought for freedom, while standing at battlefronts, during the Liberation War. BSA also won the People’s Choice Award, a trophy based on votes by the audience members.
The Latin American Student Association (LASA) placed second, which their dance liaison and junior business administration major Marcus Angel Soler described as an “insane blessing.” Their performance acted out a grandparent telling the story of their Dominican culture to their grandchild.
Their performance required extensive preparation and practice, which made their win feel extra special. While training for IF, Soler felt blessed to have incredible club members alongside him. His LASA family supported his ideas and brought his vision to life.
“I could just feel it in the air the whole process that we were doing something great,” Soler said.
The Indian Student Association (ISA) placed third. Their performance told the story of Ananya, a young girl who did not lose sight of her Indian heritage, despite the societal pressures accompanied by girlhood.
“Placing felt amazing,” senior psychology major and ISA President Akash Shah said. “This year was filled with amazing dancing, stories and creativity. Every club came together to present a phenomenal showcase.”
Many participants appreciated IF’s theme this year, as it allowed them to feel connected to those who came before them.
“When I heard the theme was roots, I took it personally. Being a first generation Dominican and Puerto Rican student… I take extreme pride in my roots and the beauty of my culture,” Soler said. “Roots connect me to the growth and evolution of my culture.”
Soler has always fostered connection with his culture through dance. In this performance, he chose to showcase dance styles that his ancestors used while facing hardship, such as baile de palos and bachata.
“We implemented the theme of rebellion… to show [that] our culture is still evolving. We always pay homage to everything before us,” Soler said.
IF means so much to everyone who gets involved. Whether a participant or an audience member, everyone has their own special reason for showing up and showing out.
The Organization of Arab Students (OAS) representative, dancer and junior architecture major Fatima Mahdi spoke about what IF meant to her, saying, “Dancing is such a big part of our culture and it brings us together, our dialects may be different, but we understand music and we understand Dabke.”
Dabke is a traditional Arab dance showcased during their performance. Though they weren’t competing this year, OAS’s exhibition is another example of the talent and passion that all the teams brought to IF. “It’s so amazing that we get to share that part of our beautiful culture and identity with the rest of the world through IF and represent our peoples and communities,” Madhi said.
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Photo: Courtesy of Ken Smith
