International Stage with a Professional Switch

By: Ella Abney

Each year at the Kentucky United Nations Assembly (KUNA), student ambassadors have the option to represent their nation in the conference-wide International Stage performance. A select group of students choose from a wide range of cultural performances to display in front of all KUNA. The International Stage has been a tradition for years, however, the YMCA Staff decided to put a spin on the event this year. To launch the performance, the Ville Casineras Cuban Dancing group performed a “Rueda de Casino” routine, with a combination of upbeat music and engaging dancing. The dance involves two pairs of partners, and one leader who “calls” the different dance moves, both auditorily and with hand signals. Most students found this very interesting and enjoyable, but the Ville Casineras impressed the crowd of students most by asking them to participate in a Congo! Hundreds of students rose from their seats to dance on stage to cultural Cuban music.

(KUNA ambassadors learning the Congo.)

This experience is yet another attribution to the opportunities that the YMCA so kindly provides to thousands of Kentuckian teenagers. Not only were ambassadors learning about culture, but they were integrated into such.

Following dinner and the World Expo, where ambassadors share an educational display of their designated nation, a select few delegations performed their International Stage presentations. The process of being awarded an International Stage spot is very competitive, and interested delegations must fill out a rigorous application before being chosen by the YMCA’s World Affairs Council. Performances varied from Owensboro Catholic’s “Polish Jeopardy” skit to Elizabethtown’s cultural Turkish Wedding dance. The audience of ambassadors were also enlightened by Saint Xavier’s Peruvian dance, Holy Cross of Covington’s religious acceptance performance, and Bracken County High’s Romanian Holiday Martizar representation.

(Holy Cross of Covington presenting the similarities of the religions in Japan, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia).

Overall, everyone lucky enough to experience the International Stage on opening evening was enriched in the diversity, joy, and unity of the United Nations.