BurgBurst 2015— an exuberant celebration of heritage and diversity. Positivity pervaded the atmosphere as students proudly exhibited aspects of their culture. It was such a rewarding experience. Here are some highlights in case you missed this amazing show:
1. The Food
Cultural foods from places such as Nepal, China, and Africa were served and they were delicious. The standout was Japan club’s Dorayaki, red bean paste sandwiched between two fluffy pancakes. They also offered a version with Nutella— and pancakes and Nutella are a match made in heaven.
2. Project Gaia
The proceeds from BurgBurst benefited Project Gaia, an organization dedicated to providing stoves to refugee families in third world countries. They mentioned that fifty stoves could sustain approximately 500 families. Not only was BurgBurst an entertaining night but it benefited a wonderful cause as well.
3. The Little Girl in the Tutu and Cat Ears in the American Dance
Literally the most adorable child in the world. (We don’t really have a good picture of her but she’s the one in the pink shirt to the right of the photo.)
4. The Cultural Music
There were two performances on traditional Chinese instruments. The sounds from these instruments were both elegant and mystical. Their unique qualities resulted in a stunning performance.
5. Maurice’s Raps
While admittedly not the biggest fan of rap, I respect and commend any form of writing— especially in the music industry. Maurice composed three of the raps entirely on his own (and co-wrote the fourth). It took serious passion and talent to compose these pieces.
6. The Bottle Dance
The dance from Paraguay was absolutely stunning. The performer (I feel terrible that I was unable to record her name) effortlessly balanced a bottle on her head and performed truly astounding feats— such as lowering herself onto the floor and then standing back up again. The bottle remained firmly rooted to her head the entire dance. As if one bottle was not enough, she managed to dazzle the audience by adding a second.
There were so many other amazing acts that were not featured in this article. If you talk to any attendee or performer, you would receive an ardent recommendation to attend BurgBurst 2016. So if you missed out on the fun this year, you should definitely make an effort to attend this wonderful event next year.
Photo credit to Shixu Zhang