A Night of Many Nationalities at the 2017 International Festival

It’s not every day you can see a panda-suited conductor leading Chinese children in song, a Spanish ensemble of singing and dancing, a choreographed Portuguese dance, a rapping German quintet, a Korean pop dance routine, a Hebrew song lesson, or a re-enactment of an Indian tale all in the same night. But this was not a normal Saturday evening – this was the wonderful International Festival organised by the Family Association.

The International Festival is a BSN community event held every Spring that showcases the unique diversity of the BSN. With the assistance of the International Team of the Family Association, families and staff of the BSN will coordinate and plan an evening filled with performances and food as a way to share their culture with each other. It’s a perfect harmony of diverse cultures brought together with entertainment and -a lot of- delicious food.

Before the performances began, the halls of Senior School were filled with children adorning various international costumes of China, Spain, Portugal, Germany, South Korea, Israel, and India as they all prepared to enter the stage for their performances. The excitement in the air was contagious as they eagerly awaited their turn to stand in the spotlight after months of planning and practice - which was evident in their performances as they were all executed with absolute brilliance.

Once the curtains drew on the last performance, and the hosts of the evening shared parting words, the audience was invited into an atrium turned international café as families from 22 different countries has set up stands of authentic cuisine and drink of their home countries. From curry to dumplings to mince meat pies and as many cakes as one could dream, it would be really difficult to leave the International Festival hungry.

Start to finish of the International Festival elapsed in a blink. There was so much to see and take in that you hope you took pictures or else you might miss something. It was inspiring to see so many people work together to share a piece of home with the BSN community. In fact, if you don’t have a chance to travel as much as you'd like, then you can just purchase your tickets to the International Festival next year and you’ll circle the globe through authentic food and dance in only a few hours. 

The BSN is proud to be the school of families from over 80 nationalities - we believe diversity and cultural understanding enhance the learning journey of students. And it is because of our Community and Family Association that events like this are possible. 

View the entire photo collection from the International Festival here.