International Student Week held at BBC

By: Vinora Murdock Hamilton / Contributing Writer
The magic of Asia was unleashed on the Biscayne Bay Campus Panther Square last Thursday, as students from various cultures watched performances by the Chinese Dragon Dancers and the Echoes of Hawaii Polynesian Dancers.

Thursday marked the closing of International Students Week; a four-day celebration designed to highlight the diversity of the students who attend the university.

“We had a great turnout for all the events, which actually exceeded our expectations,” International Student Scholars Service coordinator Anoush McNamee said.

On Monday students saw the movements of the Karimba African Dancers and the Seiruz Middle Eastern Belly Dancers.

There was also an opportunity to learn about countries such as Egypt and Pakistan, as posters with a brief history of each area were placed around Panther Square.

“It is very interesting to see things about other cultures,” Japanese exchange student Aiko Hayashi said.

The versatility of the International Sounds band was the talk of the day on Tuesday, as the players switched between reggae, soca, merengue, and salsa.

The spirited music of the Caribbean and Latin America brought students to their feet.

A panel discussion was held Wednesday for students to share information about their countries’ history and people.

Puerto Ricans had a chance to explain why they pronounce certain letters differently from other Spanish speaking countries. While the representative from Hong Kong explained that not all Oriental people are actually Chinese.

The European Sensation Musical Revue changed Valerie Desir’s mind about Russian stereotypes. The group, comprising of four main dancers and seven children, performed with singing, dancing and juggling all at the same time.

“These guys are really talented. Whenever I think Russian I think stiff, but [these dancers] are really loose,” Desir said.

This is William Penn House and Penn House Productions’ third year providing performances for the event.

“The participation of the students this year has been exceptional,” Penn House said, “We have people doing stuff that they would not normally do.”

“This is something different and a whole lot of fun,” said Chris Thorne who was crowned “King Teva,” for his performance in the Polynesian Pupuli dance.

The Pupuli dance was one of many taught to a group of brave souls who ventured on stage Thursday with their leis and grass skirts.

“We participate in socials both on and off campus, Asian Student Union president Beatriz Yu said, “This year’s celebration has been better than the previous year, with more participation from other clubs.”