Story by Kamolgandha Dutta. Photos by Angie Witte.
Students took the audience on a trip around the globe on Monday, October 5, as St. Cloud State University presented Journey Across the World at the Paramount Center for the Arts in downtown St. Cloud. The evening celebrated the many cultures represented on campus through music, dance, and traditional fashion.
Journey Across the World is a partnership between St. Cloud State and the city of St. Cloud. The showcase gives international and multicultural students a chance to share their traditions with classmates, families and community members, all in one night.
The program opened with welcome remarks from speakers on stage, who thanked the performers and the audience for being part of the celebration.
The show was split into two acts with a short intermission, and the lineup moved quickly from one part of the world to the next. Along with music and dance, the audience enjoyed a kung fu demonstration and the powerful beat of an African drum group.
Dance was at the heart of the evening. Students performed dances from Nepal, Afghanistan, several African countries and Latin America, each bringing its own music, movement and traditional attire to the stage. Every performance drew loud applause, and together they gave the audience a glimpse of how different cultures celebrate through dance.
Students perform a cultural dance during Journey Across the World.
Performers share a dance from their culture on the Paramount stage.
Music was also a big part of the night. Students shared songs from Bangladesh and India, filling the theater with the sounds of home and giving the audience a heartfelt break between the dances.
Students perform songs from home during the showcase.
A musical performance at Journey Across the World.
One of the most colorful parts of the night was the fashion show, where students walked the stage in traditional clothing from across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Embroidered outfits, beaded headpieces, silk dresses and bright patterns shared the stage, showing just how many backgrounds come together at St. Cloud State.
Students pose on stage in traditional clothing from cultures around the world.
For many students, the event was about more than performing. It was a chance to share who they are and where they come from, and to see their cultures celebrated by the wider community. For audience members, it was an opportunity to learn something new without leaving St. Cloud.
Journey Across the World showed that the St. Cloud State community is made up of students from all over the world, each bringing their own stories, traditions and talents. By the end of the night, the audience had traveled across continents, all from their seats at the Paramount.
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