The sounds, tastes and sights of a Spanish guitar, Japanese sushi and Chinese martial arts merged together during Andover’s International Festival. Last Saturday night, students enjoyed traditional and modern acts and savory dishes from all around the world. After the Food Festival, people filed into Kemper Auditorium to enjoy the student acts. Everything went dark and seconds later emcees Mike Zhan ’08 and Stephanie Teo ’08 introduced the first act: the Yorkies. The audience, accustomed to the Yorkies’ pop song renditions, hushed as soon as the a capella group sang the first note of a soothing Japanese lullaby. The group’s soft voices blended together to create a perfect harmony. Although the majority of the audience did not understand the lyrics, they were still able to appreciate the beauty of the song. Their next song was “I’m So Ronery,” a Korean-American song. The Yorkies’ comical delivery of the lyrics elicited laughter from the audience. Chinese martial artist Jinzi Zhang ’11 leaped across the stage. In her performance, she demonstrated various Chinese Kung Fu forms. Since both of her parents teach Kung Fu, Zhang began mastering the art from a young age. Additionally, Paul Joo ’08 treated the audience to a beautiful violin solo. Walker Washburn ’08 said, “That was amazing. It must have taken so long to learn how to play the violin like that and to memorize that whole song.” One of the best acts of the night was a feature film sponsored by International Club and Andover Korean Society called “PA Underworld.” Audience members journeyed through a wide range of emotions: shock, wonder and humor. By popular demand, the video will be posted on YouTube. Next, a movie concerning life in Zimbabwe took a more serious tone. The emotional documentary taught students about the millions of orphans, malnutrition, drought and dramatically decreased life expectancy in Zimbabwe. Accompanying the video, Krystle Manuel-Countee ’09 sang “Our Zimbabwe.” She sang, “Once born in pain and segregation, but now we live in harmony…build our nation.” International Club’s Talent and Fashion Show successfully combined a mix of educational and entertaining acts. Some acts like the yo-yo twirling and techno raving were fun to watch, but others such as the Zimbabwean movie promoted cultural awareness.
