Saginaw Valley State University’s diverse student body was never more visible than at Intercultural Night, held in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall on Friday, Feb. 26.
The show opened with a short video previewing the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which then slowly blended into an acoustic guitar performance of traditional Brazilian music.
International Student Adviser Charles Shelley said that this is Intercultural Night’s 13th year and that the International Student Club worked hard to create a captivating evening.
“We will have a dozen or more acts from different countries represented,” he said. “More countries will be represented, actually, because we have a dance act made up of students from Tunisia, Cameroon, and Kazakhstan who will be performing together.”
Friday’s event was sold out, and the crowd in attendance witnessed songs, dances and various other presentations while enjoying the fresh take on life outside of SVSU’s campus and beyond the United States’ border.
Coordinator of International Orientations and Ambassadors Programs Imran Khan said Intercultural Night promotes the diversity of SVSU while showcasing different countries with traditional performances.
“Students get to learn more about each others’ culture and way of life, which helps them become more accepting and welcoming of different norms and beliefs,” Khan said.
Khan said the event is important for strengthening the idea of a global village and a global citizen.
“Intercultural Night plays a vital role by allowing students, staff and community to discover the vast culture of many nations that we get students from,” Khan said. “It certainly creates an impact on the participants and viewers, which is upheld by mutual understanding.”
Intercultural Night was sponsored by Independent Bank, International Student Club, Program Board, Residential Housing Association and Student Association.
According to Shelley, the large amount of sponsors has helped ease the burden of an event that is not necessarily cheap.
“The expenses stay about the same, it normally runs about $3,000,” he said. “But the donations and sponsorships have helped to offset that, to the point where this year we aren’t charging the public for tickets. We started, quite a few years ago, making it free for students to come to the show because we had Valley Nights’ sponsorship, and since that kind of support has been consistent, we’ve made it so that it is free for everyone.”
Student Izabella Ismailova substantiated Khan’s opinion and said the event does much in the way of creating awareness about student culture on campus.
“For international students who are performing, it’s a good opportunity to share a small particle of their culture and to have an unforgettable experience at SVSU,” she said. “For local students, it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet international students and to expand their knowledge about different countries in an entertaining way.”
Additionally, she said it goes beyond a simple showcase of nationalities and teaches participants new skills.
“It is important because everyone is gaining something useful for themselves,” Ismailova said. “Students who are performing are learning how to work in a team while developing their creativity and gaining experience performing on stage.”
Co-host Stephanie Marr said that Intercultural Night offers students free and fun entertainment while giving people a chance to be more open-minded about different cultures and promoting a strong sense of diversity and multiculturalism.
Marr also said that the memories are an experience each student can look forward to sharing for years to come.
“I remember the first show, I was the producer and assistant director,” she said. “The theme was ‘50 Years Ago,’ in honor of SVSU’s 50th anniversary, and we had this really cool video made asking international students what their country was like 50 years ago. I will never forget South Korea performing the ‘Gangnam Style’ and how everyone got to hop in and do the dance, which was so fun.”
Cultural sensitivity is an important aspect of the event, and Marr said that if one is proud of where they come from, then they should have the opportunity to showcase what they love about their country.
“I believe that learning about and being open-minded to different cultures is extremely important for us to do, no matter who you are,” she said. “I believe that if people have a better understanding of others, then we can develop and create a more loving and harmonious environment for the future and set a better example for future generations.”
