@Webb

This past weekend (Jan. 30^th) the Webb community celebrated International Night 2010. Traditionally, the evening includes a progressive dinner, culture show, and dance.  Since its inception six years ago, the event has evolved into the largest student-organized event at Webb. Last year, the attendance grew so big that the Hooper Student Center was no longer adequate.  Instead, the event was moved to the Perry Gymnasium, which provided a large enough space to accommodate over 350 people, 5 “restaurants” and a performance area. 

The whole event capitalizes on the international composition of Webb’s student body. For the past three months, student organizers interviewed students with a heritage from another country or who have lived in other parts of the world. The planners created five “restaurants” based upon their research: Nigerian, Sri Lankan, Armenian, Indonesian and Latino. Each restaurant was decorated to fit the cultural theme and featured a sampling of authentic foods. For example, the Nigerian restaurant was decorated with items that were purchased in Nigeria when one of our students came back from visiting relatives. The Sri Lankan restaurant included on-the-spot Hoppers (a traditional food). Many students, faculty and staff even dressed in traditional costumes, creating a truly international atmosphere.

The distinguishing feature of this year’s event was the student culture show with over 100 participants. Unlike years past, the show contained acts entirely choreographed and performed by students. The acts included:

• Chinese peacock dance
• Instrumental acts including traditional Chinese instruments (Guzheng)
• Traditional Nigerian dance
• Korean Fan Dance
• Vocal duet of “Shan Hu Hai”
• Hawaiian Hula (both traditional and contemporary)
• Chinese Sword Dance
• Salsa and Cha Cha
• Latin song with instrumental accompaniment
• Israeli Dance
• Indian Dances (traditional, Bhangra, and Bollywood-style)

I would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of this event, especially the event chairs, Emily Stewart ’11 and Elias Bashoura ‘10. It couldn’t have happened without the involvement of the whole community; but the creativity, organization, leadership, and passion of the students were the driving force behind the event. Thanks to them, people are already looking forward to International Night 2011...