Community and connection, center stage: Saint Mary's students performing traditional West African dance at the third annual Cultural Night Showcase. / Photo by Francis Tatem
‘Cultural Constellations’ Offered Gaels a Chance to Shine
The third Cultural Night Showcase provided Saint Mary’s students a space to express their unique backgrounds and identities. The event was also a celebration of the Delphine Intercultural Center, which turned 20 this academic year.
While there are numerous opportunities throughout the year for Saint Mary’s students to engage with diverse cultural backgrounds and identities, no night feels quite like the Cultural Night Showcase. Hosted by the Delphine Intercultural Center, the annual event and performance offers Gaels an opportunity to tour the world, in a sense, experiencing and sharing food, dance, poetry, art, and music.
The third annual showcase was themed “Cultural Constellations” and took place on April 25 in the Soda Center. Before the show, attendees and performers enjoyed an array of multinational treats from food trucks, including halal bites, bento boxes, and Southern soul food. Then the audience settled into the Center to enjoy 17 distinctive sets from dozens of student performers.
Snapshots from the Showcase
The sets highlighted the rich varieties of heritage and identity that make up the Saint Mary’s community. Throughout the night, students shared traditional and modern forms of dance from West Africa, the Middle East, the Phillipines, Mexico, Tahiti, Tonga, South Korea, and beyond. There were Brazilian ballads and mariachi music, spoken word poetry and drag performances.
Celebrating 20 Years of the Intercultural Center
In some ways, the showcase was a send-off for the Class of 2025, who will soon walk at Commencement on May 24. But this year’s event was also marked by the Intercultural Center's 20th anniversary. In honor of the milestone, the Center collaborated with SMC’s Office of Marketing and Communications to interview three alums about what the IC meant to them.
For Vince Sison ’03, former president of SMC’s Gay Straight Alliance (now PRIDE), the IC provided opportunities for him to be fully himself. “I needed to find community in the right places,” Sison shares in the video. “And so that’s why I say, it’s incredibly important for these cultural nights, and these clubs, and spaces like Delphine to exist.”
