International Culture Night featured traditional dances, fashion show

The Satellite Student Union at Fresno State came alive with vibrant colors and rhythmic music during International Culture Night on Sunday.

The event, which marked its 27th anniversary, served as the kick-off celebration for Fresno State’s International Education Week.

Referred to by organizers as the “one night when the world unites,” the event featured a traditional cultural clothing fashion show, as well as performances by Fresno State students from a number of cultural backgrounds.

“We want to bring students and community members together to show them different cultures at Fresno State and celebrate the diversity,” Fresno State graduate student Ming Xu said.

Xu serves as a finance officer for the Association for the Promotion of International Culture (APIC), which administered and organized the event for the past several years.

Xu also performed at the event with the Malaysian Student Organization.

“Our dance was the Malaysian lion dance, which mimics the movements of a lion to tell a story,” Xu said. “The dance and music show a traditional part of our culture.”

While the aim is to entertain, Xu said he and other members of APIC also hope that the audience learns more about the number of cultures at Fresno State.

Eight countries were represented at the event including Mexico, Japan, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Africa, the United States and Egypt.

Shakeya Rhodes, an environmental and occupational health major, performed a traditional African hymnal piece with colleagues from the B.D.X. Dance Express.

Rhodes said she felt inclined to perform at International Culture Night because she wanted to represent and express African culture.

“Our performances might inspire people to find out more about what we’re about and the history of African culture and how it influences the present,” she said.

Fresno State’s International Education Week events will continue until Friday, Nov. 19.