McLean hosted its annual International Night on Feb. 21 to celebrate the diverse heritage of students.

The three-hour event consisted of 16 performances from the McXDance club, Korean club and other various groups and soloists. The different performances captured a wide range of talents including hip-hop dancing, singing and cultural movements from performers.

“I decided to perform again at International Night after having a great experience last year,” junior Boya Kou said. “I made a lot of long lasting friendships while learning how to perform on stage and captivate an audience.”

International Night creates a supportive and open space for all performers to learn from one another and perform confidently.

“What I loved the most about International Night was being able to see the various cultures that were represented by McLean,” Kou said. “I think that it was a very special experience seeing everyone coming together to prepare for this performance.”

The audience also showed support by cheering for a variety of performances by clapping to the music beats and turning on phone flashes to support solo singers.

International Night did not come together easily. It was an outcome of hard work and participation from club officers, performers and volunteers who all made the event possible.

“It was so fun and rewarding seeing the evening come together,” vice president Sophia Dannenberg said. “I got to enjoy most of the shows and the performers did amazing jobs. Everyone is very talented and it was awesome to see.”

The event preparation took almost two months of advertising and rehearsing to bring the best outcome for the night.

At the end of the performances, everyone gathered in the cafeteria to enjoy the dishes that the volunteers prepared.

“My favorite snack was the samosas at the Indian table because of their delicious exterior bread shell,” sophomore Amira Yamazaki said. “It had a multitude of flavors inside, which I really liked.”

The diverse options of dishes allowed visitors to take an additional step to embrace different countries’ cultural identities.

“I really enjoyed seeing so many different types of people representing places all over the world and connecting with each other,” Yamazaki said. “I learned that all cultures are equally as impactful, and [different] cultures play a big part in one’s identity.”