International Festival celebrates multiculturalism

By Konstantin Boychinov
COPY EDITOR

By Mariya Gorbanova, PHOTO EDITOR The slow, refined movements of the Persian Dance were among the colorful performanaces that entertained guests at the International Festival March 22.

Of the nearly 7,000 SUNY Brockport students, about 1 percent of them come from lands far, far away, speak in an interesting accent and generally think the Buffalo Bills are a breed of cattle. That percentage may sound small, but it adds a great degree of diversity to a campus that is not particularly famous for it.

On Thursday, March 22, the Seymour Union Ballroom hosted the International Student Festival, an annual event that celebrates all international students in Brockport. The festival is traditionally divided in two parts — first the public enjoys an array of colorful performances, and this is followed by a dinner with a distinct international flavor.

After International Student Organization Vice President Mariya Gorbanova welcomed all guests and BSG President Frank Guidice delivered the opening speech, the stage was open for entertainment. It came in a blend of student pieces and guest performances. Under the careful guidance of MC Smita Bhooplapur, first onstage came Zurisaday Moreno and Gabrielle Shutter with an innocent modern dance. A Persian Ballet and the Chinese Art Institute of Rochester also performed classical native dances. The cultural trend was maintained by Milen Nikolov and Angelo Gershon, who performed typical string pieces from Bulgaria and Nepal, respectively. Further expanding the geographical span of the festival was Ly Nguyen, who sang a Vietnamese song.

All the men in the room seemed to particularly enjoy the Egyptian cabaret style belly-dancing rendition of “Habibi.” Just as tradition commands, the dancers truly delivered a feast for the eyes. On a more quiet side, Hikaru Suga read a Japanese poem. Finally, Bhooplapur and Fenix Garcia Tigreros gathered the ovations and closed the performance part of the festival with a “Zesty Indian Dance.”

After indulging their senses, the guests then got to treat their taste buds. From recipes provided and suggested by international students, BASC Catering composed a medley of foreign cuisine. The menu included meals from Bulgaria, Colombia, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Japan and Nepal, and it seemed to satisfy even the most refined tastes. The background music blended perfectly with the mood and added to the overall experience. Furthermore, a highly impressive interactive global map created by computer science guru Momchil Kyurkchiev visually highlighted each city around the world that had representatives in Brockport. 

“The performances were better than last year’s,” said Bogdan Baco Kurtev, one of the founding fathers of the international community. “The food was exquisite too, especially the Bulgarian dishes. I went twice to fill my plate with stuff.” His positive evaluation reflected the attitude of most attendees.  “We received a lot of positive feedback this year,” Gorbanova said. “We aimed to demonstrate what is most interesting in our diverse cultures, and the festival is chance for us to appreciate and learn from multiculturalism.”

Traditionally, the festival concludes with the announcement of the auction winners. The auction is a chance for people to bid on unique items to commemorate their experience at the International Festival. And those who happened to be on the outbid side of the auction will be left with the good memories from a truly international event.