On Thursday, 28 March, Marc Garneau’s cafeteria was packed with people, dress from top to bottom in their fanciest cultural clothing by 6:30 pm as the annual International Show began. The entire cafeteria was decorated with shiny stars taped to the walls, lights strung around, the red carpet, and golden fringes on the edge of the stage.
International Show is a yearly celebration of the many cultures and ethnicities in MGCI. This year, the show was planned by Aflah Islam, who is specially in charge of International Show in SAC. Tickets for the show were $4 each and were sold out by 20 April.
Photo courtesy of MGCI Student Council.
Auditions were held in the first week of April followed by practices twice a week in the weeks leading up to the show. Performers expressed their desire to perform. Nibras Khan, who read a poem in the show, said, “I just love to perform.” Around 150 people participated in the show this year.
This year, the show kicked off with a video made by Zaid Baig about the variety of cultures in Garneau. It was followed by the flag parade, a tradition at the International Show, which was greeted by a roar from the audience. For the next two and a half hours, the audience watched over 15 solo, duo, or group acts including Bollywood, African, and Tamal dancing, spoken word, the fashion show another tradition at the International Show, and singing. Each act was accompanied by audience members whistling, cheering, and clapping for the performers. The show closed with a dance by members of SAC.
Over 400 people attended the show. All in all, people enjoyed the show but thought that it was too long. Mehwish Rana in Grade 10 said, “It would have been better if it was an hour long rather than two and a half.”
Jordan Mercy, a performer who played the guitar, said, “It [the show] was excellent. Best show I’ve had.”
After the show, dinner was provided. Audience members were given a wide selection of food in the gym, including sushi, biryani, samosas, and chocolate dipped strawberries. The audience was also given the opportunity to get their pictures taken at the photo booth station at the back of the cafeteria.
About how the show went, Aflah said, “In the middle it [fashion show] got messed up… and I was pretty pissed about it but at the end of the day, look at the big picture. The show was a success, people loved it, and that’s all that matters.”
