The International Students Association hosted their tenth annual ball on Valentine’s Day. The theme of the evening was “Arabian Nights” and it drew a crowd of over 600 students.
More than 600 domestic and international students came together Friday night for an evening of dancing, performances and plenty of food at the Valentine’s Day Ball.
The MSU International Students Association, the largest international student organization at MSU, hosted its 10th annual ball at the Marriott at University Place. The theme of the ball was “Arabian Nights.”
The organization usually aims to hold the event on Friday, said supply chain management junior and International Students Association public relations director Rayna Zhang. By chance, the ball coincided with Valentine’s Day.
“Valentine’s Day is more of a western festival that Asian countries don’t really celebrate,” Zhang said. “Since we are in America, we tried to get more people engaged in this melting pot so people can know about the culture.”
When the event began, students filed into the hotel’s University Ballroom wearing everything from elegant evening dresses to gowns as extravagant as prom-style dresses.
The ball wasn’t only open to international students — locals joined students from across the globe to fill the crowded ballroom.
Plant biology junior Paul Helling said he liked being greeted by more traditional Indian music as he walked into the ballroom.
Students hesitated along the outskirts of the dance floor at first, no one wanting to be the first to start dancing.
However, all it took was the familiar tune of “Cupid Shuffle” coming from the speakers to send a flood of students onto the floor.
After that, the floor remained full for the duration of the night.
Three performances were spread throughout the evening. The MSU Swing Society and MSU Salsa Club showed off their quick and upbeat steps in addition to a belly dancer’s show, which had students crowding around for a glimpse.
International Students Association president Dev Rajeeth said the goal was to create an event that would bring all students together.
“Being an international student, when I first came to MSU I was brought up in my own culture and tended to stick to my own group,” said Rajeeth, a construction management senior. “I started to branch out later on. I wanted to get international and domestic students out of their comfort zones, and dance and talk with each other.”
The festivities of the ball started to die down around 10:30 p.m., but the party was far from over — an after party was held at Spiral Dance Bar in Lansing’s Old Town.
Rajeeth said about 400 people joined them for the after party.
“This was a big opportunity for people to get to know each other,” graduate student Son Tran said. “It’s very unique and helps people get close together.”
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