Reporter left shook following first Cultural Extravaganza experience

The UHCL Cultural Extravaganza is an annual performance including multiple performances from various cultures around the world.  The show celebrates the multitude of cultures on campus by giving students an outlet to perform and showcase their countries through performance.

Since enrolling at UHCL, Cultural Extravaganza is one of, if not the biggest, annual event that the university has to offer. Since I wasn’t able to attend the Cultural Extravaganza my first year at UHCL, I was especially excited to see it this time around. I didn’t think it was that large of an event until my friend told me that we had to go an hour early to make sure we got seats! When we arrived the theater was already filling up, so we quickly grabbed seats and waited for the show to start.

I knew that Cultural Extravaganza was essentially a multicultural talent show, but you really don’t know what to expect until you actually attend the performance.

I. WAS. SHOOK.

The first act was an Indian dance duo that was so well put together that the whole audience couldn’t help but clap along to the music! The show had a really wide range of performances that ranged from songs and dances originating in places like Nigeria, Vietnam, and India to stand-up comedy! Overall, the performances were great and there was genuinely never a dull moment!

After the performances were over, the emcees told everyone to stay tuned for the “cultural walk.” This was a parade of flags from all the countries represented at UHCL. While each country was called, a description of its culture and language was announced to provide the audience with a little background knowledge about that specific country.

Once the show was over, everybody cleared out of the theater and headed toward Atrium II where there was a ridiculous amount of food from various cultures spread out for the audience to taste and enjoy. If free food isn’t a perfect end to a great show, then I don’t know what is!

As a whole, Cultural Extravaganza was a great experience and I’m glad I attended it! I knew that UHCL was diverse because UHCL prides itself on diversity, but I never actually knew the extent of the university’s diversity! After seeing the performances and the cultural walk, I definitely gained a newfound appreciation of UHCL as a whole and what it means to be a hawk!

Snapchat story of the 2017 Cultural Extravaganza. Video by The Signal reporter, Izuh Ikpeama.

Also published on Medium.