For the 18th consecutive year, Multicultural Club will be hosting its annual assembly in the big gym celebrating all cultures. The assembly will take place during 3rd period on Friday, March 10th and will include performances from different cultures around the world. The club officers are in charge of coordinating the performances, overseeing dances, and ensuring the assembly is a success.

To prepare for the assembly, the club created eye-catching decorations to add flare to the big gym. Angela Zhang, Decoration Committee Chair, shared, “I came up with all the decorations and helped make all of them. There are ceiling centerpieces that I came up with this year that we have never done before, so I think that will be a nice touch on the cultural aspect of the assembly.” In addition, decorations will include flag-colored lanterns and a large paper globe.

In order for a group to have been involved in the assembly, the choreographer must have sent in a video weeks in advance containing their routine. In the past, almost all groups with good routines received the opportunity to perform because time was never an issue. The officers of Multicultural Club unanimously decided if a group is capable to perform based off their routine.

Mr. Cassady, advisor of the club, discussed previous assemblies: “There have been a few dances that have been here every year; tinikling is one. However, year to year, there are different dances performed.” In this assembly, the performances will include: Bollywood, Tinikling, West African, Armenian, Spanish, Hip-Hop, Tahitian, and drumline.

One of the oldest cultural dances in the Multicultural assembly is tinikling, in which dancers maneuver through sticks that are quickly and rhythmically clapped together. This form of dance has two different styles: traditional and modern. The tinikling team has six sets of sticks with five people per set. The five people in each group are composed of two girls and one boy as dancers and two clappers, creating a grand total of thirty people for the assembly.

For the first time, the assembly will have performances from West Africa and Armenia. The founder of the West African performance, Christabel Odoi, expressed her duties and challenges as choreographer: “We started preparing approximately a month and a half in advance before the assembly. I want to practice enough times to the point where no mistakes can be made. Some of the biggest challenges as a choreographer was to ensure that each and every person thoroughly understood the choreography. All in all, it is just a matter of perseverance.” Surely, the West African performance is something the audience can look forward to.

With many new performances and additions to the assembly, students can expect to be exposed to new cultures. The officers and performers have dedicated numerous hours to execute an entertaining and successful assembly.