More than 100 student performers entertained an overcapacity crowd in a seamless show of cultural exchange Friday.

It was none other than McDonogh School’s 2011 Multicultural Night, a culmination of countless hours of work done by many. Students presented 25 different musical and dance acts that represented the diverse cultural heritage and origins of McDonogh’s student body while dozens of volunteers handled the lighting, set-building, crowd management and other behind-the-scenes tasks.

“The planning began in November," said a senior organizer Nicole Meneveau (class of ’11). “It is a big event every year.”

The show drew hundreds of students, faculty, parents, and alumni to campus, with about 200 people forced watched the show on a large flat-screen from the improvised overflow area outside of Horn Theater. A thunderous applause followed every performance.

The night’s finesse was hard to miss. Students wore traditional garb while they performed dances ranging from Indian classical to salsa and Panamanian folklore. A well-spoken Mohit Puvvala (class of ’17) presented a segment on Indian culture focusing on the country’s diverse ethnicities, languages and religions.

“India is a land of strength through diversity,” he said, and also reminded the audience of the connection between Indian and American civil rights movements. “Gandhi had a direct influence on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — they both believed in non-violence.”

Another segment called “Our American Tales” consisted of 17 members of McDonogh’s third grade class, the class of 2020, with each child dressed in the traditional clothes of their ancestors. They spoke about their family history and ethnicity while a slide was projected behind them featuring family artifacts and photos.

“(It) shows just how diversity there really is at McDonogh,” Meneveau said.

McDonogh’s Director of Diversity Sharon Howell was charged with organizing the complex event and said its purpose and success went hand-in-hand with the campus’s everyday life.

Her duties included keeping parents abreast of any updates and directing two six-hour technical rehearsals.

Jennifer Hu (class of ’14) played a beautiful piano solo for the “Traditional Chinese Piano Music” that featured delicate sounds requiring special skills. Hu’s friend and classmate Caroline Christofano (class of ’14) was there to lend support.

“We came here to watch Jenn,” Christofano said. “It was really good.”

For 2007 alum Molly Fitzhugh, the night was a family affair. She watched her sister Erin (class of ’11) participate in the Salsa Dance, which she herself had done at the same age. Erin was also responsible for some of the choreography, and her brother Ian (’14) was part of the lighting crew.

Students Megha Chaudhari (class of ’20) and Laya Neelakandan (class of ’20) offered an exciting example of Indian classical dance. Accompanied by the driving rhythms of a traditional Indian song, the young women danced with precision and confidence. 

 “The Indian classical dance was awesome,” student George Thomas said afterward. “AWESOME.”

In a world filled with cultural, ethnic and religious conflict, McDonogh School’s Multicultural Night appeared to leave those in attendance with a reminder of human beings’ collective humanity.

And at 11 p.m., Howell was still working. 

“We still need to put away chairs and clean up,” she said. “There is still a lot of work to do!”