Ramblers Celebrate International Night 2023

On Friday, February 24, Loyola hosted International Night, an annual celebration of the unique cultures and traditions that enrich our Loyola community. Guests at this year's International Night, or I-Night, enjoyed an array of performances from a number of Loyola's heritage clubs including:
  • African American Youth Group 
  • Asian Youth Group
  • Chinese Club
  • Hellenic Club
  • Irish Heritage Club
  • Polish Club
  • Step Team
  • UniDos
Ramblers and members of the Loyola Academy community gathered in the Performing Arts Center to see the vibrant performances which included the Cumbia Wepa/Folklorico, East and West African dances, Tinikling, Tai Chi Fan Dance, the Irish Jig & Ikariotiko, a Polish mash up, the fashion show, and more! Guests were invited to enjoy a variety of desserts afterward from all of the countries represented at I-Night. Some of these included delicije, flan, ambasha, plantain chips, baklava, Ensaymada, mango cake, butter maman, pineapple cake, Kourabiedes, Plexoudaki, Moustokouloura, and conchas.

An anchor of co-curricular life at Loyola Academy has long been our heritage clubs, which provide students with the unique opportunity to share their backgrounds and traditions and explore those of their classmates and friends. For about 200 Ramblers, the heritage clubs at LA become like a second home—a place where they can learn and grow more fully into themselves.

“I think International Night is such a special and important celebration because we get to embrace our culture, share it with others, and see other cultures, too,” says Diana Moreno ’23, who is a member of Unidos. “Every year I look forward to it because the preparation for it makes everyone in your club closer, and the result is an amazing night we all enjoy together.”

Every year International Night captures several of the many diverse perspectives and traditions that we celebrate at Loyola. For months leading up to the event, Ramblers work closely with their club moderators to develop a performance or skit that represents their cultural heritage.

Ellie Grammas ’23, who serves as president of the Hellenic Club, explains that preparations for I-Night began as soon as students returned from Christmas break in early January. “We spent Friday mornings in the dance room collaborating and teaching each other steps to various traditional Greek dances,” she details. “At the beginning it took a group effort, like counting to twelve repetitively to get all the steps in order, but it ultimately all paid off.”

For Grammas, like many students, I-Night is about strengthening connections among peers and learning from other students. “Hellenic dances are performed in circles so you get to look at each other for the whole dance and just seeing a friend across the circle and laughing made it so much more fun! I-Night is a great way to come together and celebrate so many cultures. I love seeing all the other cultural clubs dances each year that we know they worked so hard on.”

“This year’s International Night has to be one of my favorites,” adds Sinit Gebrehiwet ’24, who is a member of the African American Youth Group, Black History Month vice president, and the East African choreographer.  Gebrehiwet worked with Bontu Chabis ’23, Emanuel Mengiste ’23, and Sam Andargie ’23 to choreograph and coordinate their dance routine, which showcased the different tribes of Eritrea and Ethiopia. “Because of the countless diverse tribes, many of the dancers did not know how to dance a tribe they weren’t from,” she explains. “I am proud of the team for spending the past two months learning and practicing the dances, especially those who performed on a stage for the first time.”

To view a recording of I-Night 2023, click here.
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    • International Night 2.24.2023

      International Night

      February 24, 2023

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