CulturalFest Performance Showcase: The Journey
The FIUTS CulturalFest Performance Showcase was the culmination of months of hard work and preparation by all of our amazing performers, as well as the group working behind the scenes, the Performance Committee. Learn more about their experience bringing this event together, in their own words.
Full of zeal and enthusiasm we, the committee members, were waiting for CulturalFest. From starting to plan the event flow, to organizing and doing publicity for the auditions, to seeing all the wonderful talents in the auditions, selecting a few and then working with these culturally diverse groups towards the finale, the CulturalFest Performance Showcase, we have done it all. Together we have lived all emotions — happy, nervous, anxious, excited, all of it.
Throughout the process we learned a lot about teamwork, management skills, and above all, a lot about the variety of different cultures that exist in the UW campus. We developed a higher sense of respect and appreciation for all the acts that auditioned, the volunteers, and the staff. During this journey, we realized the significance of culture in our lives and our personalities. All these cultures have taught us a lot; there are so many stories and values that inspired us, so hopefully, everyone learned something from each and every performance. The dedication of these performers also taught us important life skills whereby you should persevere in chasing for your dreams and that hard work pays off. We worked really hard to ensure that we put up a show worth your time and something that all will remember!!
We had our first committee meeting in October. Filled with excitement, we couldn’t wait. After getting to know FIUTS, CulturalFest, and each other a little bit, we were introduced to the most important task in October: recruiting performers. Throughout October, we tried our best to reach out to diverse cultural groups both inside and outside campus through personal connections, posting posters on campus, and emails. The day of auditions had finally come, and we were so excited to see 22 different performances, including classical Indian and Chinese dance, Irish dance, Taiko drumming, etc. We were amazed by the wonderful talents and proficient techniques that performers brought to our auditions, and we knew it was going to be hard to make the final decisions, because all the performances were amazing. After discussions with the whole committee, we selected 11 diverse, awesome talents and made the lineup for the showcase.
As winter quarter approached, it was time to promote CulturalFest as it was only one month away. Together as a committee, we started brainstorming methods to share the event so that everyone knew about it. Each and every one of us shared the event on our Facebook profile and groups that we were part of. In addition, we also recorded videos of our committee trying our best to promote the event. Posters and flyers were shared everywhere on and off campus regarding the event. We tried our best to spread the word on CulturalFest. Promoting the event really helped us get out of our comfort zone. We had to approach strangers and talk about CulturalFest as intriguing as we could so that it would catch their attention. No matter whether it rains or the sun shines, our committee was motivated to spread the word to the community. As time passed by, CulturalFest was just a week away. We had a Meany Hall walkthrough for the performers so that they would feel comfortable and prepared with the setting of the event.
On the day itself, we as a committee had to be at Meany Hall early. The agenda of the day was explained briefly, and we were assigned a few tasks to perform during the day itself such as making sure all performers were ready to get on the stage and making sure that there was enough food provided for the performers. At the same time, It was exciting to see people entering Meany Hall. All our efforts of promoting the event were successful. A lot of people attended the event that night, and they were actively participating with the performers. Once the event approached the end, the performers and the committee members gave their final bow and ended the event. The event went smooth as butter, and everyone was so relieved. We finally did it as a team and now it's time to clean up and finally get a good night’s sleep.
