Despite inclement weather, international and domestic students and guests came together in the Student Union Ballroom on Feb. 19 for the third annual All Nations Night.
The event included music and dance performances, a panel and various country presentations; All Nations Night was hosted by campus organizations Better Together and the Ole Miss Ballroom Dance Club.
David Henen, president of Better Together and Ph.D. student from Egypt, said he was satisfied with the event’s turnout.
“We had a big turnout, despite the weather,” Henen said. “We were expecting 300 to 400 (people), but just because of the weather, we got around 150, so that was a huge success,”
Of the 80 nations represented on campus, 32 were represented at All Nations Night, Henen said.
“The purpose of all nations night is to gather the student body and present the nations represented on campus,” Henen said. “The people get to learn about each other’s culture and appreciate each other’s culture. We are raising awareness so people know that we are from different backgrounds in the world, but on one campus.”
For many attendees, the event was a way for students to connect with peers from all over the globe. Rabbi Islam, a computer science major from Bangladesh, enjoyed the social aspect of All Nations Night.
“I’m a Bangladeshi, and one of my friends was representing our country here,” Islam said. “I think it’s a very good place to meet people from other cultures and all the different countries — and make new friends.”
Enora Mouasseh, a sociology major from France, echoed Islam’s sentiment.
“For me it’s really interesting to be here and to learn about all the other cultures and to meet new people, too,” Mouasseh said.
Adding to the evening’s festivities, professional ballroom dancer Tammy Wilson — who teaches with the Ole Miss Ballroom Dance club — took the stage alongside students from the weekly, on-campus salsa dancing class for a dance demonstration.
“The thing that’s really cool about ballroom dancing is that it transcends borders,” Wilson said to the event attendees. “When you learn to dance, you can dance with somebody who has learned somewhere else. You don’t have to have learned it in the same place or learned the same moves — once you learn how to dance, you can dance with almost anyone.”
