Every year, Northside celebrates its rich cultures and communities through International Night, or more commonly referred to as I-Night. This year’s I-Night theme was ‘Entrusting our Embers.’ Asian Club Board defined this theme:

“’An ember on its own may fade, but together, they sustain warmth. Each one carries its own glow, shaped by the hands that tended to it before your own. In this same way, we leave these embers for those after us, free to shape and nurture each piece before passing it on to the next set of hands.”

How did the many Dance Groups of I-Night exhibit this theme?

‘together, they sustain warmth.’ 

Dance groups honor traditions through a shared sense of community. The captains of dance groups emphasize the importance of team bonding. Irish Dance Co-Captain Amara Patras shares how Irish Dance’s end-of-practice countoff is “Irish on three, family on six.”

Dance groups become close through many bonding opportunities. Co-captain of Korean Fan Dance (K-Fan) Colette Chung said,  “This year, we wanted to focus on community, to make sure that everyone feels welcome and that K-Fan can be a family! I think we all grew really close, whether that be through bonding outside of school, or having dinner before I-night.”

‘Each one carries its own glow’

Even in community-centered dances, students still have a place to let their own identity shine. Shakti Co-Captain Kushala Anantharaman explains how members of Shakti blend their “own ideas and previous experiences with different moves and music.” Kushala’s experiences dancing Bharatanatyam, a 2000-year-old South Indian dance form, influenced Shakti’s choreography this year.

Bringing specific cultural knowledge is not the only way individuals can contribute to their dance, however. A feature of Northside’s dances has been that there is no cultural requirement to join. While many do gravitate towards a dance that reflects their culture, not everyone does. Amara, who is Irish Catholic, sees this diversity reflected in her own dance club, saying that anyone being able to join “is really special because it encapsulates the spirit of I-Night. We’re a very diverse dance club that’s representing a culture that only applies to some of us, and I think that’s really great that we’re able to appreciate a culture that not everyone resonates with.” 

Kushala adds that many Shakti dance members were able to “embrace the culture and learn more about it.”

‘shaped by the hands that tended to it before your own’

As one of Northside’s most honored traditions, I-Night serves as a way for the past to inform the present. Many dances performed at I-night are directly influenced by past years. While each year of I-Night brings new choreographies, dancers, and even new dance groups, there are always traditions passed down that audiences recognize. 

When choreographing Irish Dance, Amara says, “we go back through what Northsiders have done in the past and [identify] what we like.”

Past leaders of I-Night dances don’t just influence choreography but they also serve as a role model for future leaders of their dance. Kushala explains how “[past leaders] played a big role in our leadership style.”

‘we leave these embers for those after us’

The end of I-Night each year may mark the final performance for seniors, but many senior captains are still thinking about how they can set their dance up for success next year. 

Next year, Amara recognizes that Irish Dance will be very “senior heavy,” so she says she will make sure that the new board “works to include the underclassmen.” 

As the name of the dance, “Shakti” represents the passing of responsibility. Kushala explains how each year senior captains of Shakti “pass on the ‘torches’…to the new leadership.” The current captains entrust the next captains to work just as hard to foster a close-knit dance group. 

Kushala, who will be a senior captain next year, is already thinking about how she will expand the community of Shakti, saying “two things that I want to implement next year is one, more bonding,… and two, to teach more about the Indian and South Asian culture.”

“Together, they sustain warmth.” – Through teamwork and collaboration, Northside’s dance groups build a strong and lasting community.

“Each one carries its own glow.” – Every dancer brings their own background, strengths, and flair, allowing individuality to shine within the group.

“Shaped by the hands that tended to it before your own.” – Current dancers build on traditions, lessons, and techniques passed down by senior or graduated members.

“We leave these embers for those after us.” – As seniors graduate and new dancers join, the spirit, knowledge, and community of Northside’s I-night continues to be shared and strengthened.