On Friday, students will have the chance to watch their peers perform at the Center For the Arts (CFA). After months of practice, the performers will have a chance to be crowned the winner of UB's International Fiesta.
The International Council will host the annual event Feb. 28. The International Council consists of a wide array of clubs, celebrating cultures and nationalities from across the globe. This year's theme is myths, legends and folklore.
Initially, International Fiesta was a food event in the Student Union; its dance portion was a minor part of the occasion. Now, Fiesta is a dance performance that displays diversity and culture with a competition portion for some of the participating clubs.
"I think it's more about the journey and process of getting to the end," said Daryl Chong, president of the Malaysian Student Association and a media study major. "International Fiesta is all about showcasing our culture and diversity through dance performance. We hope to make Malaysia proud."
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the event and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Students and the general public can pay $7 ahead of time and $10 the day of the show for entrance. Undergraduate students had the chance to pick up free tickets at SA, but the opportunity ended on Friday.
The clubs competing this year are the Filipino American Student Association (FASA), Japanese Student Association (JSA), Chinese Student Association, Indian Student Association, Latin American Student Association and Malaysian Student Association.
Chong said Friday will mark his club's fifth year participating in International Fiesta.
"We started planning since last semester and started choreographing ever since," Chong said. "It has been a really busy journey, but hopefully we can pull it off."
Joshua Racho, the cultural chair of FASA and a sophomore business major, is excited about this year's theme.
"It definitely allowed us to go deeper into our culture," Racho said. "We're able to show a lot more compared to last year."
Ayumi Kamio, president of the Japanese Student Association (JSA) and a senior health and human services major, has similar thoughts on the theme.
"We get to tell people about a traditional story from Japanese culture that maybe isn't that well known," Kamio said.
Though certain clubs will compete in Fiesta, other cultural clubs can put on an exhibition performance without competing. Teams finishing in first, second and third place in the competition will receive a cash prize that will go into the budget of their clubs.
"For winning Fiesta, the clubs receive a trophy, the title of being a Fiesta winner and money for the club to use, so it is a very big deal for them to win," said Matthew Siwiec, the international council coordinatorin charge of planning International Fiesta.
Preparation for the event included renting the CFA main stage, organizing clubs that wish to participate and finding judges and advertising, according to Siwiec.
FASA placed third in last year's Fiesta. Racho said placing in the competition made his club members feel like their efforts paid off.
"[This year], I'm just focusing on making a good show, creating a piece that will definitely wow the audience," Racho said. "And hopefully the trophy will come along with that, but the goal is to make a spectacular piece."
Kamio hopes JSA will place in the competition this year. JSA members have been practicing since last semester, and they have more dancers participating than previous years.
"The reason why JSA participates as a club is because it's a good opportunity for our members to get to know each other because you work with them," Kamio said. "They become friends with people they never would have met or talked to if they hadn't joined fiesta. So I think it's a good experience for our members."
Amanda Low contributed reporting to this story.
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