“And I, as I recall it ended much too soon
Oh what a night,
Hypnotizing, mesmerizing me
Sweet surrender, what a night!”
And what a night it was! The last Regional Night of the trimester definitely went out with a bang. A chilly night beckoned the student body, but none could be deterred from attending one of the last social events on campus at the TEC. Hosted by the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), European Business & Culture and African Business clubs, this was another regional night event that was coupled along with a Campus Preview weekend. With doors opening to everyone at 6.30pm, students poured in, eager to grab some grub and good seats before the evening’s entertainment unfolded. As always, the menu on offer delighted, with food ranging from hummus & pita to the ever popular baklava. Around 60~70 prospective students were among the audience, getting a glimpse of what’s to come when they (hopefully) end up at Thunderbird in the coming year.
The evening’s performances began with a graceful Dabke, followed by the African Flash mob and a unique Caribbean dance. Graduating student Lisa Umar awed with a soulful performance on the cello. Next up was a mashup with the ladies dancing to popular European hits like Mama Mia from Abba and 99 luftballons, but the real surprise was a Spice Girls performance by the guys from the Fall 2012 MBA group, impeccably dressed to represent the 5 stars of the erstwhile popstars. That wasn’t the last we’d see the men in skirts, with a ballet performance that followed. Thunderbirds outdid themselves with performances on the bagpipes, Matthew Erley and AZ with the unique Wenti Mastaneti, the Spice Girls (Boys?!) returning as a quartet for masked medley of modern music hits, a fashion show of ethnic African & Middle East garb, as well as the Sevillanas, Flavor Shake, Zahara, Ledzginka, Khaleehi and Kaalu freestyle being showcased. A surprise performance by belly dance artists from Tempe rounded out the night along with the customary dance at the end which involved the audience getting in on the fun, which included staff and students!
Some students expressed disappointment on not being able to hear Global Sounds at the end of the night, while others felt that the fashion show could have been shortened in favor of other performances. Kudos has to go out to the clubs involved, the TSG and the student body – thanks to their efficiency, the TEC was cleaned up and ready to close within a 20 minutes of the close of the performances. As the trimester winds down and we bid farewell to the regional nights, one hopes that next trimester’s regional nights are as entertaining and exciting as this trimester!
(Click here to access videos of the performances)