TU celebrates global diversity
International Banquet sells out, features food, music
Emily Butler
Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Trinity Life
The International Banquet of 2009 opened this past Wednesday with a line of students, faculty and staff dancing the Palestinian-Arabian dance, Dabkeh. Chapman's Great Hall was filled seemingly past capacity with students from around the world as well as faculty, staff and families. Guests were welcomed in a dozen different languages and promised that their senses would be transported around the world through various food dishes, performances, a fashion show and a silent auction.
The dinner courses included chicken and tofu wraps, Polish dumplings, Columbian soup, an Indian vegetable dish and Caribbean pudding. Between each dish, different groups would perform on stage.
Performances included a Vietnamese dance, a band of students performing a Chinese pop song using traditional Chinese instruments, a swing dance performance reminiscent of the 1920s, an Arabic belly dancing/Latin American salsa fusion act and a grand finale in which around 15 students performed the final dance from the "Slumdog Millionaire" movie.
Co-presidents of the International Club Maria Fernanda Vinueza and Sebastian Pinzon worked hard to organize the event, taking charge of such matters as advertising, contacting performers and ensuring diverse performances, as well as getting recipes and coordinating the catering. Every member of the club, though, has helped in putting the event together.
"It has been teamwork more than anything else," Vinueza said.
Pinzon ensured that a diverse array of goods would be up for auction at the event. Some exotic items included a Zampoña flute from Peru, a Tanzanian woodcarving, Mexican jewelry, a woven bracelet from the Republic of Georgia, paintings from China and a traditional Vietnamese hat.
This was a big part of the cultural aspect, Pinzon said, because it conveys the diversity of the campus.
"Everything has to be as international as possible," Vinueza said, "to convey that message throughout the banquet."
The dinner courses included chicken and tofu wraps, Polish dumplings, Columbian soup, an Indian vegetable dish and Caribbean pudding. Between each dish, different groups would perform on stage.
Performances included a Vietnamese dance, a band of students performing a Chinese pop song using traditional Chinese instruments, a swing dance performance reminiscent of the 1920s, an Arabic belly dancing/Latin American salsa fusion act and a grand finale in which around 15 students performed the final dance from the "Slumdog Millionaire" movie.
Co-presidents of the International Club Maria Fernanda Vinueza and Sebastian Pinzon worked hard to organize the event, taking charge of such matters as advertising, contacting performers and ensuring diverse performances, as well as getting recipes and coordinating the catering. Every member of the club, though, has helped in putting the event together.
"It has been teamwork more than anything else," Vinueza said.
Pinzon ensured that a diverse array of goods would be up for auction at the event. Some exotic items included a Zampoña flute from Peru, a Tanzanian woodcarving, Mexican jewelry, a woven bracelet from the Republic of Georgia, paintings from China and a traditional Vietnamese hat.
This was a big part of the cultural aspect, Pinzon said, because it conveys the diversity of the campus.
"Everything has to be as international as possible," Vinueza said, "to convey that message throughout the banquet."
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