Every year, students and families come together to honor the unique cultures present at RM. International night is always full of laughter, applause, and amazing performances from a diverse group of students. Whether they’re singing, dancing, or performing with yo-yos, these students have the opportunity to share their talents and traditions with the RM community.

International Night was actually Thursday, September 21, but the bell schedule was modified on Friday so that everyone could see the performances. “It was the perfect start to winter break,” sophomore Kisha Yan said. “It made me reflect on my own culture during break and appreciate it more.”

A majority of the performances focused on different types of dance, featuring caporales dancers from Bolivia, Latin dances, Egyptian dances, and a Surinaamse kaseko dance to name a few.

One of the remarkable performances this year was the African Dance Group. The audience clapped along to their upbeat and energetic dance. “I loved them all so much but the African Dance Group this year was so amazing.” Neemah said. “I loved their energy, choreography, and of course, the culture they were representing.”

Hip Hop culture was also well represented during International Night. The DC Lockdown embodies Hip Hop culture, while also including individual styles from each dancer in their choreography. The RM dance team danced to “The Way I Are” by Bebe Rexha, “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back”by Shawn Mendes, and “Energetic” by the Korean group Wanna One.

Besides dance, there were other incredible performances that showed underrepresented aspects of the different cultures. Junior Sydney Sun introduced the pipa, a traditional Chinese instrument otherwise known as the Chinese Lute. Both the Chinese yo-yo and regular yo-yo amazed the audience as well.

Not only did the audience enjoy the show, the performers also had a great time on the stage. While it was the first time performing this year for some students, everyone had a great time and many were willing to come back again next year. “It was my first time performing solo, so I was pretty nervous. The lighting and atmosphere on stage feels really different from off stage.” Sun said “The audience was really encouraging though and it was a great experience, I felt pretty proud. I hope I can improve more and show a cooler and more impressive performance next year.”

International Night has always been a great way to unite and celebrate the diversity of cultures within RM’s community.  As Liang said, “I think RM’s international night is uniquely important because it specifically promotes the sharing of culture and identity, rather than just a soulless talent show.”

Also authored by: Grace Zhou