Dozens of participants clad in traditional Bangladeshi garb and dress performed at the first ever Bangladesh Night at the Student Union yesterday. Bangladeshi dances, humor and music were presented to a crowd of more than 70 people as part of the Bangladesh Student Association's celebration.
The show kicked off with a duet performance of the Bangladeshi national anthem. Immediately afterwards a rock rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" got the crowd cheering.
The event's Bangladeshi folk dances featured upbeat rhythms and moves that had the entire audience dancing along in the aisles of the Student Union Theater.
The Bangladesh Student Association's goal was to entertain and enlighten the audience about Bengali customs and life.
"This program was designed to bring awareness of Bangladesh and her culture to UB and the Buffalo community," said Syed Wasi Ahmed, a senior economics major and the BSA's president. "It's also a great way to take a last minute break off from studying for final exams."
"The main purpose for the event is to promote our culture and traditions," said the vice president of the student group, Baha Uddin, a sophomore majoring in legal studies.
The announcers promised a mix of traditional and contemporary acts. A traditional Bangladeshi folk song was performed by a trio of male BSA members - one sang while another played the keyboard and a third jammed on two tom drums.
A silent skit, which took place in a more modern setting, featured a Bangladeshi street set near Dhaka University in the capital of Bangladesh.
In the skit, a thief stole a pedestrian's wallet and ran away, and while the victim went to find a police officer the perpetrator disguised himself as a woman by donning a light blue sheer silk scarf around his face. The officer falls for the disguise and starts to court the suspect, but when he finally learns of the suspect's true identity he beats him up.
The story was set to an extremely eclectic arrangement of music from native Bengali music to pop songs to the Police's "Every Breath You Take."
"It was hilarious when the bad guy came out looking like a girl," said Erica Hood, a junior communication major. "The whole thing was very entertaining. I loved how 'N Sync's 'Bye, Bye, Bye' started playing right at the end of the cop's chase."
Most people came for the experience of a real Bangladeshi festival. Some just came to support their friends and classmates in their endeavors.
"It is the BSA's first event so I and much of the Indian Student Association's e-board came out to support their efforts and help in any way we could," said Subi Fernando, a sophomore psychology major, who performed in the fashion show part of the night.
Anup Kang, a sophomore anthropology major, came to have a good time as a spectator and to cheer on her friend who performed in the event.
Three girls came out and revved up the crowd with a high-energy, fast paced Bangladeshi dance. Dressed in faint blue, bold red and deep purple the dancers put forth a lively effort despite some technical difficulties with their wardrobe, namely a falling scarf and loose jewelry.
"The dance was my favorite because it's not what you would normally see on a day-to-day basis," said Arifa Idris, a senior psychology major. "It is nice to see something traditional once in a while."
On a more sweet and reflective tone, Tilova Rahman, a member of the Indian Student Association, sang a folk love song as the audience clapped to the soft beat.
A freestyle performance by Marquis Woolford, the president of the Hip-Hop Student Association, wowed the crowd with rhymes that were both humorous and serious.
"Bringin' it from Bollywood to Hollywood/seeing so many brown faces coming to be one race," rapped Woolford, a senior English major.
