Digging Deep: UB’s International Fiesta Explores the Power of ‘Roots’ Through Dance and Tradition
Digging Deep: UB’s International Fiesta Explores the Power of ‘Roots’ Through Dance and Tradition
Western New York’s largest international cultural fusion event, International Fiesta, was proudly held by UB on February 15th. On this night, UB’s Center for the Arts’ main stage transformed into a magnificent melting pot of cultural heritage.
Twelve bright and vitalizing performances are broken up into two separate acts with each competition club providing a dance interpretation of the years’ specific theme; the featured theme of this year was roots. Five awards were given: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, People’s Choice, and Most Inspirational.
The first three awards are chosen by the judges, while the last two are nominated by the audience via QR code and an online form. Each competition club is eligible to win the first three awards. However, pertaining to this year’s theme of roots, clubs needed to include a storyline narrative in order to win Most Inspirational.
The long awaited night had been anticipated and planned since as early as February 17, 2024. This one-of-a-kind event happened thanks to the Student Association event organizers, the SA media marketing staff, photographers, videographers, and the judges, which feature important members of student life, namely the Vice President of Student Life and the Dean of Students.
Dripping in style and repping their own cultural attire, second year student Asahi Minamitani and third year student Ibrahim Hussain stepped on stage after the viewing of the introductory video, igniting and exciting the crowd for the cultural convergence that was about to unfold.
Opening for the fourth year in a row was the Buffalo Bhangra, displaying a traditional folk dance from the region of Punjab, representing both Pakistan and India. The bold and bright performance opened the show with a bang, giving viewers a burst of vigorous kicks, arm thrusts, jumping, and more.
UB’s premier Bollywood-fusion dance team, UB Zeal, provided modern dance moves with Bollywood/Indian songs, providing a short and sweet narrative between each song remix. The team switched over from modern dances to classical, showing the diversity within the Indian dance community.
The Sri Lankan Student Association began with introducing the storyline of a young girl from Tami, Sri Lanka named Neelakshi. She begins her first day at a new school “proudly dressed in a pavadai [traditional skirt]. But instead of being welcomed, she faces bullying and rejection, mocked for her clothes and her name.” Neelakshi begins to question her identity and tries to hide her culture, going as far as abandoning her own name. SLSA exerts and combines vibrant kuthu, traditional Kandyan, and Sri Lankan folk dances to accompany the storyline and motivate Neelakshi into becoming comfortable with her individuality. The colors and the urgency in the dancing paired with the synchronicity and refined timing painted this storyline to be felt deep within each person’s heart.
“As memories of her culture and her love for her people begin to resurface, she realizes that one’s culture is not a burden — it is your strength.”
The Kasanova dance team presented by the Korean Student Association featured some K-Pop songs paired with other Korean music, incorporating jazz and hip-hop style dance techniques to their interpretations of K-Pop dances and famous trends seen on apps like TikTok.
UB Kickline showed an exhilarating performance, proving their impressive synchronicity skills and top-tier kicks. Each dancer snapped into position when needed, creating a wall of energy that created a ripple all the way to the last row of the audience. The sharpness of their formations mixed with the fierce attitude they brought to the stage and their seamless transitions made it clear: this team is serious about their kicking.
The Latin American Student Association featured another storyline surrounding the theme of ‘roots’ from the Dominican perspective through the eyes of a relationship between a grandparent and grandchild surrounding the Eve of Dominican Independence. The grandparent unveils the importance of tradition, starting with the sacred baile de palos. The story continues during Trujillo’s dictatorship. “Despite its ban, the people’s passion for this soulful and exciting dance endured in secret, showcasing their defiance and strength.” Coming around full circle, the grandchild introduces ‘Dembow,’ a lively dance from Santo Domingo that has grown into a powerful symbol of identity for today’s youth. The many sequences shown by LASA exhibits the transition in not just time but also political and social movements. By examining each individual dancers’ face, the range of emotions directly expressed the hardships the Dominicans were enduring. LASA’s performance concludes with a joyful celebration, illustrating how tradition and innovation connect generations. The roots of history and culture are not just tales of the past, but the foundation that fuels Dominican pride and strength today.
Arlinne Lucero, second year student tells me, “When I started dancing with them at practices, I truly felt like I was at home. In my community at home, it is mostly Hispanic people, and here, there isn’t much Hispanic representation. LASA made me feel welcomed and nobody judged me… and if I felt embarrassed and couldn’t do a dance move or something, nobody would judge me.”
When asking Lucero if dancing for International Fiesta made her feel closer to her roots she responded with, “Our [LASA] dance was based on Dominican roots… I’m Mexican, but I feel like even though I’m not Dominican, it made me realize all of the Hispanics who may not have a voice… many of the clubs and associations here may represent one country, but LASA represents so many countries whose voices deserve to be heard.”
The Organization of Arab Students consisting of Syria, Lebanon, and Pakistan began the second act, starting off strong with entrancing female Arab vocals paired with a dreamy red background. An amazing array of Arabic footwork was displayed, followed by the various regions and their country’s flags being flown, representing the array of Arab dance styles being intertwined.
Bengali Student Association’s bright performance stunned viewers as their unique production engaged with the hardships faced by the Bangladeshi, captivating the audience. Bangladesh’s youth have led change, from the 1971 Liberation War to opposing challenges like corruption and internet blackouts in 2024. Inspired by past struggles, they continue to fight for their identity and culture, demonstrating the enduring strength of youth in shaping the nation’s future. The BSA’s interactive performance and use of props displayed the literal and figurative impact of light on the Bangladeshi. Between the timing, the synchronicity, and the patience; this performance took my breath away.
Who’s in the house? 8 COUNT! This beaming and invigorating performance reflected struggles of African Americans in the music industry, zooming in on specific areas and genres from the expanding of soul in Memphis to the lovesick blues in Mississippi. “Every era had its sound; in the 70s we were celebrating our freedom and by the 80s, African Americans were climbing the charts.” The hip-hop and R&B of the 90s was played out in the performance of this group.
The Filipino Student Association uses only traditional Filipino dances to exhibit an interpretive dance story following a child who, fascinated by city life, reluctantly visits his grandmother in a village blessed by Lakapati (the god of agriculture, “embodied through the shrine whose emotions are represented by the flower dance”). The god’s emotions are expressed through a flower dance, but the child’s disrespect for tradition disrupts the village’s balance, causing a catastrophe. The performance surrounds the complication of embracing one’s roots or being blinded by difference. By staying connected to our heritage, we preserve the legacy passed down by our ancestors. As our ancestors have enriched the soil with traditions, it falls on future generations to decide whether they will continue to embrace their heritage, or lose tradition to time. Traditional dance practices like Tinikling were executed beautifully, laying out the beauty and wonders that our ancestors have left for us. The interpretation of the picking of the fruit/gathering of items as it was balanced on the girls’ heads was very inspiring.
2024’s International Fiesta winner, the Indian Student Association, impressed the audience with a dazzling production. Taking place in the 1980s, their story line introduces Ananya who represents a young girl born into a world that didn’t recognize her value. In traditional Indian society, sons are seen as the liability for the financial state of the family, while daughters are often regarded as burdens. Ananya, too, was considered a liability, but she’s given a second chance to reclaim her culture. Her father sees her birth as a burden, but her mother refuses to give up on her. Through Indian dance styles such garba, ras kuthu, Bollywood, and classical dances, Ananya’s journey is witnessed and shows her rediscovering her roots in a world that tried to deny her connection to them. The performance was fun, lively, and appreciated by the crowd.
The night’s final performance was done by the Asian American Student Union, providing a laid-back, street style with dances featuring the style of hip-hop. Their performance, without a doubt, got the crowd going. Although the final performance, the crowd left wanting more. Spins, quick footwork, expression, and more were shown through each dancers’ movements.
It is clear that each group put their heart and soul into their performances. The hosts introduced each act with love and appreciation, sprinkling humor throughout the entirety of the event and displaying their true personalities to approach the crowd as if talking to each individual person.
Asahi Minamitani, one of the nights’ hosts, told me “I believe working with all of the clubs has opened my eyes and provided a better understanding of what everybody else’s culture is about… what was most rewarding was being able to create genuine connections.”
Minamitani then tells me, “I think that’s what I enjoyed about International Fiesta the most – being able to interact with so many people with different backgrounds, learning new stuff from other cultures’ lingos, how others interact with each other, others’ comfort foods… stuff like that.”
UB’s annual International Fiesta’s theme was ‘roots’ this year, and I think each individual group truly dug deep and found the excerpts of their history that has shaped them. Each performance beautifully illustrated how heritage, identity, and cultural pride can shape the present and the future.
- 1st Place
Bengali Student Association - 2nd Place
Latin American Student Association
- 3rd Place
Indian Student Association
- People’s Choice
Bengali Student Association
- Most Inspirational
8 Count
