News

Monday 29 July saw the annual International Cultural Night (in aid of the Otago Community Hospice) take place at the Teachers’ College Auditorium. The night, which was organised by OUSA and the International Cultural Council, began with a kapa haka performance by Te Roopu Maori. The audience was then treated to a variety of performances from ten Asian and Pacific cultural groups, as well as two dance items from the Afrotago group, all of which were ably introduced by ICC executive members Dean D’Cruz and Jayani Kannangara.

Stand-out performances included the Otago Malaysian Students’ Association’s colourful folk dancing; a series of humorous musical items, sketches and skits by the Otago University Thai Students’ Association; masterfully choreographed Indian couples’ dancing; and the Brunei Students’ Association’s medley, which ranged from Bruneian folk songs to Madonna’s “Like A Prayer.”

Many of the items included mixtures of traditional and contemporary dance and music, such as a brief “Gangnam Style” homage by the Pacific Island Students’ Performing Arts Group and an extraordinary display of hip-hop dancing by one member of the Sri Lankan Students’ Association.

OUSA International Students Officer Kamil Saifuddin told the audience at the Teachers’ College auditorium that weeks of work had gone into the preparation of the pieces, and praised the work of all involved. Hospice Representative Lyn Chapman said the organisation was grateful for the effort the performers had put into the event.

The results of the audience vote held after the performances revealed the Indian Students’ Association’s number to be the general favourite. Second and third places went to Otago Malaysian Students’ Association and the Brunei Students’ Association respectively. The evening ended with a prize draw from sponsors of the event, including ANZ’s Danni Pattison – who congratulated the performers in Mandarin – and Chopsticks 101 owner Dick Chou, who gleefully handed out meal vouchers to fortunate concertgoers.