I-Nite: An evening of cultural success

The UConn Honors Council hosted their seventh annual International Nite Thursday evening from 5 to 11:30 p.m. at the Rome Ballroom located above South Dining Hall. I-Nite is intended for UConn students, faculty, and members of the community to celebrate diversity and multiculturalism, and immerse themselves in an exciting evening of performances and food from across the globe.

"I-Nite is an international themed event that includes performances, a silent auction and food. The money that is donated during I-Nite goes towards the International Nite Scholarship that is awarded annually to a student who displays a strong commitment to diversity," said Ricky Hernandez, a 3rd-semester business major.

A unique aspect to I-Nite is that students have the opportunity to watch all of their favorite groups at one event. Some of the performances included a cappella singing by the "Rubyfruit A Cappella", one of two all-female a cappella groups at UConn and the oldest all male a capella group, a "Completely Different Note". Other performances last night included step-dancing by the UConn All Stars, traditional folk music by the UConn Folk musicians, and a modern revival of traditional Japanese drumming by the UConn Taiko group. Taiko has been used historically in prayers for rain for a good harvest season, and also used by Samurai to evoke fear in enemies and courage in themselves.

"My favorite event from tonight is the Capoeira, which is a Brazilian martial art that consists of music, acrobatics, and self defense. It is incredible how the performers could move their bodies in such a manner," said Divya Keerthy, a 1st-semester physiology and neurobiology major.

I-Nite had traditional food from all over the world. The food included samosas, hummus, chicken dumplings, and baklava to name a few. In addition, students had the opportunity to travel around the world through booths that were set up in the ballroom that provided information about different cultural societies that students may be interested in joining at UConn. At the end of the evening, the performances were followed by a dance party.

"After tonight, I hope that students would recognize the diversity within the UConn campus. I am extremely proud of my students who put the performance on and it is amazing to know that their hard work has paid off," said UConn Honors Program Coordinator Rebecca Gates.