"At Fiesta, a flourish of culture"

Over 2,000 people "got culture" on Friday night when they packed into the Center for the Arts for the 2006 International Fiesta, an annual student cultural celebration and competition at which Japanese SA took this year's top prize.

The competition was marked with an electric level of energy. From the moment the curtain closed on the Mixed Nuts, the co-ed a capella group that sang the national anthem, each of the competing cultural clubs broke out into chants and cheers, waving their respective countries' flag in proud support of their culture.

This year's theme was, "Got Culture?"

After an intense night of competition, the Japanese Student Association walked away with first place, followed by the Indian SA in second and Latin American SA coming in at a close third.

Last year, SA moved the competition from the Student Union to the CFA due to the increasing popularity of this event, and 2006 was no different. For the spectators anxiously waiting in the CFA lobby for the doors to open, the line went from one end of the CFA to other, and when the doors finally opened, it was a free-for-all rush to get the best seats at one of SA's highest-profile events of the semester.

This year's competitors were evaluated on several aspects of their performance with a first-place prize of $1,200, second-place prize of $750 and a third-place prize of $500.

The competitors were judged by six of UB's faculty and staff.

"This is my first time judging this event and it's going excellent," said Dawn Whited, program coordinator for the Intercultural and Diversity Center and one the six judges. "The students are making it very difficult, but it's a good problem to have."

Christina Joseph, a senior communication major, thought the competition was especially fierce.

"FASA (the Filipino-American SA) had great moves this year," Joseph said. "They definitely should have made top three, but the (Indian SA) pulled it off with their beautiful costumes."

Audience members were awed and energized by the eruption of 13 cultural student organizations, highlighting months of preparation with their elaborate costumes, fast-paced tempos and electrifying dance routines that left the crowd in constant thunderous applause.

Laryn Winnicki, a senior legal studies major who said this was her first time attending the International Fiesta, said the event was great entertainment.

"The show's amazing," Winnicki said. "It's a good experience for the students to be able to witness the cultural diversity of all the unique international clubs represented tonight."

Stephanie Diberardino, a junior international marketing major who has attended this event for the past three years, called it "absolutely amazing."

"Every year, it just gets better and better," she said. "The audience is so much better this year, portraying more excitement and energy."

Backstage, things seemed to be going equally well, as groups excitedly lined up "on deck" three acts in advance to help keep the night moving smoothly. Despite the intense competition, the groups showed nothing but smiles backstage, wishing each other good luck and displaying an excellent sense of cultural community.

As Eddie Asbie, student relations coordinator and one of the event's four emcees, said during the intermission, "The night is going great. This is my fifth International Fiesta but my first time emceeing it. Tonight is a great opportunity for people to come out and experience different cultures and SA has done a great job with the Fiesta over the years."

The competing teams were comprised of the Caribbean SA, Bangladeshi SA, Russian-Ukraine SA, Middle Eastern SA, Latin American SA, Indian SA, Korean SA, Organization of Arab Students, Turkish SA, Jewish Student Union, Filipino American SA and the Japanese SA, with an exhibition performance by Nadia Ibrahim Middle Eastern Dance Troupe.