March 7th was a day that made many Flamers proud to say they go to Williamsville East. Not only was it a school day with shortened periods and the weekend just around the corner, but it also brought yet another fantastic Unity in Diversity performance filled with dancing, hula-hoops, and a whole lot of bright white lights.
What is this Unity in Diversity show? Shubhangi Mehra, a sophomore in the India dance, summed it up swimmingly, saying, “In Unity, we learn about the complex cultures that make up our world and share it with the rest of our school; we have a first-hand experience with their clothes, their languages, their way of life, and best of all, their dancing!”
Sophomores Ally Walker and Carter Richards, the hosts of the Unity show, introduced each country’s acts with a fresh and entertaining script. Starting off each of the two assemblies, students and faculty were first treated to a video featuring members of this year’s Unity in Diversity club, who spoke about their hard work and dedication off the stage, which made the show such a success.
Then the excitement really began. The video only highlighted some of the work put into each act, but on stage, with hundreds of pairs of eyes and beams of fluorescent light trained on them, all the performers truly delivered. From senior Helen Xu’s graceful Chinese dance solo to a hula-hooping trio’s spinning to the beat of the deep bass of British Euro-Trance Music, the auditorium was fused with excitement and energy.
Always a large group, the traditional and contemporary Indian dance followed. Seniors Jessica Arora, Noelle Abdallah, Nisha Divan, Soumya Gupta, Avneet Nagra, and Erika Caggiano took the stage first before underclassmen joined them for a series of numbers that displayed the talent and teamwork put into the performance. Erika reminisced on the experience and said, “It was amazing dancing with both my Indian and non-Indian friends! I learned so much about the culture while bonding with everyone. When it came to the real show, I was nervous that I would mess up on stage, but with all my friends’ support and energy, I didn’t want to stop dancing!”
In classical outfits, the Chinese group, led by seniors Joanna Chen and Helen Xu, succeeded India’s performance with effortless synchronization and hand drums, followed by an exotic Middle Eastern belly-dance. Soon after, seniors Yeojin Kim, Maggie Lo, and Brenda Shao amazed the audience with their spot-on moves for Japanese pop (J-Pop).
Korean Pop (K-Pop) is a new style of dance and music that has been making its way to the West for years now. East got a taste of this technical and catchy music when both a boys’ group, led by senior James Jiang, and a girls’ group, led by senior and Vice President of Unity, Haneul Park, performed their own songs. Many students, even teachers, couldn’t help but clap along or dance in their seats.
And with K-Pop, the Unity in Diversity show came to an end…
…or so we thought.
Unity had one more treat for everyone. The award-winning Band Against Bullying, made up of singers, guitarists, drummers, trumpeters, saxophonists, a pianist, and rapper Curtis Vance Jr.—all East students—came up on stage and called for students to hold up lights from their phones to wave away the darkness cast by bullying. With their beautiful and inspiring song, East students and faculty alike rose up as one, swaying to the music that unites us and makes us a community.
It was a wonderful, uplifting way to end the Unity in Diversity show. Many agreed that it was the best one they had seen during their years at East. As Mr. Huber’s club wraps up for the year, we congratulate all the seniors who participated, and we hope even more people—freshmen, sophomores, and juniors—join next year to make Unity in Diversity even better.
