8th World Cultural Festival Evening Gala: A Transcultural Audio-Visual Feast
By Stella on 2016-11-01

Written by: Gin Cheung & Irene LI
Photo by:
Edited by:James Campion, WANG Zijin | 

October 29th, 2016 will be remembered as a day with sensational events, as the Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of GDUFS Programs for International Students & 8th World Culture Festival Evening Gala was held in Yunshan Hall on the North Campus. With the theme of “Celebrating Three-Decade China Programs, rejoicing with the Guangwai Community”, teachers and students from all over the globe acted as versatile artists, presenting the audience with a fabulous audio-visual feast.

Overflowing with enthusiasm, the gala began with a dynamic dancing show namedLet’s Dance!

Then it was followed with the distinguished World Fashion Show, acting as a prelude to the main event, building a sense of drama for the audience. Students from all over the world dressed in their classic folk costumes doing cat-walks with rhythmic beats.

As LIANG Xuehong, Dean of the Institute of International Education, expressed his sincere wishes for holding the gala successfully, as well as the gratitude towards institutions that have shown strong support for the festival in both Chinese and English, the gala was officially started.

Students who performed the Flame of Love had lovely and open tones – no tension whatsoever on their faces and neck muscles, keeping them natural and making an effortless tone.

There’s no national limitation lying in art and artworks. The outstanding Peacock Dance presented by attracting international girls, showing minority Dai people’s beauty, became an eye-catching show.

After that, the Different Kazakhstan by Kazak students, the What a Wonderful World by Canadian students, the Japanese Traditional Dance by Japanese students and the Treasure of Peru by Peruvian students were so remarkable that they enraptured everyone in the hall.

The following shows included Chopin’s Prelude, Ginastera’s Sonata and All I ask. YI Shuai, member of Guangdong Musician Association, prominent pianist, was invited to the gala to perform collected songs, preludes and sonatas. The audience was so impressed that they were immersed into such a fantasy music world.

One of the most striking performances was the Sound of the Pacific Islands Countries performed by the senior civil servants from Pacific Islands Counties, showing the friendship between China and the Pacific Islands Countries. It’s widely agreed that they had marvelous singing voices and perfect accuracy when singing, which shows that they rehearsed a lot of times before the show.

Students from Thailand delivered their performance with shining golden costumes and beautiful movements of their arms, commemorating their recently-passed-away King of Thailand. Their wonderful dancing could be best described with the quote, "Ever wondered what music looked like?"

The short sketch The Four Talents, performed by students from different countries, sparked eruptions of applause and cheers owing to their humorous lines, fluent and native speaking and dramatic body language.

Indonesian Tayub Saman Dance, accompanied by brisk and lively music, immersed the audience in the Indonesian traditional culture.

A romantic song Couldn’t Love You More brought great surprise to the audience, especially when they expressed “I love you” in different languages. Another Chinese song The Invisible Wings, sung by a talented girl from Sudan, was fair-sounding and piercing.

The enthusiastic exotic dances The Moment for Africa, The Latin World, Party for Everybody and Dancing to 30th Anniversary brought down the house. African and Latin dance kept up the passionate style as always. The Russian dance was more like a music drama since it presented various scenes and stories. The energetic and bright dance by Korean students corresponded to the theme of the 30thAnniversary Celebration.

Apart from the wonderful performances of the international students, the teachers of IIE also prepared dances and songs for the gala, which was beyond the expectation of the students. The graceful and gentle Chinese Umbrella Dance showed the other side of the female teachers – different from their normal strictness. Besides, a dynamic song Handbook of Youth by male teachers made the audiences seethe with excitement and surprise.

The last performance was a chorus by students from IIE, Ode to Youth and We are One, which was a soft and warm turning point of the gala. Their songs perfectly expressed themselves: They are still young, from different countries, have different skin colors, cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and so on. But they are one because they are all members of the GDUFS family. Just as the lyrics said, they are the same, pure and kind, sparing no effort to chase their dreams. They share their thoughts and experiences regardless of their different backgrounds.

Finally, the gala rounded off with a tutti, Anthem of GDUFS.

After the gala, we interviewed some performers and one of the hostesses Emefa (Chinese name Nade). They conveyed their feelings of excitement and gratitude, and their keen anticipation for the next World Festival. The hostess said the process of preparation was tough, but she really enjoyed it and looked forward to it, because it was a distinct opportunity for them to display their unique cultures and talents, letting more people know about their countries, their continent and their cultures.