OUSA's second annual ‘International Cultural Night' set itself a steep task - 'Bringing the world to Dunedin'.
The International Student Council organised the event, and did an impressive job trying to live up to its slogan at the Town Hall on Saturday.
A wide range of nations was represented, one after the next, giving glimpses of culture through dance, song, and other performance.
Among the highlights was a refreshing sense of humour, with some groups able to make fun of themselves - such as Indians marketing everything - and others playfully referring to their compatriots' typical ignorance about New Zealand ("close to Denmark?" or more plausibly, "part of Australia?").
Another highlight was the recurrent juxtaposition of traditional and popular culture. Memorable examples included the co-location of Buddha and Super Mario in the Japanese presentation and the cultural collisions of Bollywood in the Indian.
Because of the generally strong performances, one was scarcely aware of the lack of stage equipment and props.
On the other hand, the plot tying the performances together seemed weak and contrived - but performances had to be tied together somehow and using unintended destinations as themes worked moderately well.
Another problem was the lack of geographical representation of much of the world, with no input from Europe or the Americas.
Overall, the event was worthwhile, and suitably positioned between last week's International Food Festival and this Friday's (31 July) Ball as climax of International Month.
There were good examples of cultural mixing; the crowd appreciated English translations, and Western influenced material generally got more of a response, but there was plenty of good-natured pride around, both Kiwi and overseas.