Make Some NOIse For Culture at Macleans!

The iconic Night of Intercultural for 2024 hit the ground running with phenomenal shows last Thursday and Friday evening. The much-anticipated event is always a favourite amongst students and staff alike, and with the addition of new acts along with many seasoned ones, this year was no exception.

The performances were split into four parts, with games involving audience engagement in between each one and a half-time break with refreshments in the middle. The event emcees, Nethra and Quinn, did an incredible job maintaining an uplifting atmosphere and kept everyone entertained with their humorous energy.

Starting strong with the Kapa Haka group, a series of waiatas were sung, followed by a powerful and moving presentation of the Macleans Haka; He Tangata E. The first quarter continued with a Chinese duet, a ballerina performing as an automaton, Korean Fan Dance with its mesmerising patterns, finishing with an energetic performance from the Punjabi Dance group.

The second quarter began with the debut of the Glenfern Band who performed a cover of a classic Cantonese pop-song, 海闊天空, meaning ‘vast sky, boundless sea’ by Beyond.

“We’re very grateful to have had the opportunity to perform at NOI. Not only did we create irreplaceable memories together, [but] we’ve also discovered our potential to become a boy band dance group.”
Glenfern (Joshua Ng, Flynn Griffiths, Isaac Ho, Antony Yang, Ruize Li and Winter Sun)

Chinese Flag Dance took to the stage next, displaying grace and precision in their movements. This was followed by a duet called ‘The Last Echo’, an extravagant Lion Dance performance, and the new J-pop group who received much excitement despite being a new act.

“Everyone has worked hard for this amazing performance and has made NOI 2024 the best memory of the year!”
Lion Dance (Cherry Shao, Yanxi Wang, Zuoan Wu, Tianlan Cai and Handrei Eng）

A comforting set of songs played by the Chinese Instrumental group opened the third quarter, warming up the stage for action.

“Performing at this event has been such an unforgettable experience for our group. We’ve been practicing since the start of the year, and seeing it all come together on stage was incredibly rewarding. Sharing the beauty of traditional Chinese music with the audience is something we’re deeply passionate about, and we’re honored by the positive responses!!”
Chinese Instrumental Club (Joanna Tan, Cindy Zhang, Stephanie Lin, Alison Hu, Fiona Fu, Sophia Zang, Mia Qiao and Jolin Chen)

KSJ + 5 Star Michelin performed an ecstatic number, with dances featuring multiple K-pop songs.

“Night of Intercultural has not only gave us a stage to perform a style of dance we enjoy, but it also gave us the opportunity to bond with our group and create meaningful memories in our short time at Macleans College. Although both our groups faced many hardships, we overcame them together and always came out stronger. I’m very proud of what our groups have achieved this year, and happy that we left the stage with no regrets.”
KSJ + 5 Star Michelin (Kate Yu, Selena Wei, Joy Lee, Rachel Chen, Jerra Wei, Derek Liang, Zoe Kim and Ariel Wang)

This was followed by an equally stunning Kathak Classical Dance solo, an energetic and technical demonstration from Howick Taekwondo, a satisfyingly steady Korean Drums performance, and finally, another solo, featuring a martial arts-inspired traditional Chinese dance.

In the final quarter, a piano duet starring Mr Fourie and Boyu Xie launched the audience back into the focus. The group 小鱼 performed an emotional song following the story of a boy and a fish, assisted with the creative use of lighting. The Chinese Girls Dance group then presented a dramatic dance with alluring choreography. This was then followed by the eye-catching Bollywood Dance group and then… the crowd-favourite, the Kpop Dance Club. As the final act of the evening, the Kpop Dance Club gave an all-out performance, showcasing a mix of K-pop songs and ending the night on a high note.

“After countless hours of practice and hard work, witnessing our performance come to life in front of an incredibly supportive audience was a true pleasure as the atmosphere and memories created at Night of Intercultural are unforgettable. It was so rewarding to have the opportunity to proudly celebrate and share our vibrant culture of India through our intricate and energetic dancing.”
Bollywood Dance (Deeksha Suresh, Suchalya Hewa Gamage, Mindulie Fernando, Lakshya Narooka, Lakshmi Thilakeswaren, Yohansa Karunanayakalage, Rayumi Naidoo, Kinjal Pandey, Suprita Prasad, Nithuki Pudagodage, Mariza Rojan, Prisha Saini and Aashritha Vathasavaya)

With that, the Night of Intercultural 2024 came to a close. A special thanks to the ICC execs, event emcees, tech crew, backstage crew, front of house and supervising teachers. This student-led event was a great success and could not have been what it was without every single one of you!

Finally, congratulations to everyone who shared a part of their identity on stage. Your performances were amazing – well done for embracing your culture and proving yet again, just how much diversity and talent we have here at Macleans. We already cannot wait for NOI 2025, bring it on!