The first international talent show at SFCC is over, and many of the students with whom you sit in class, came out to show their talent. From stand-up comedy to piano performances, the show had a variety of acts. The event was coordinated by the International Office on campus. There was also a raffle at the end of the night with a TV as the big prize. All of the prizes given away in the raffle were donated for the show.

The enrollment of international students at CCS is the largest that it has ever been, according to Gabriel Alvarez Garcia, member of the International office on campus. As a result, the need for additional scholarship funding is needed.

Those who were performing were rehearsing and attempting to get rid of whatever pre-performance jitters they might have. Off to the right of the stage the two emcees for the show, Nate Ngyuen, and Polina Plitchenko, were rehearsing their opening dialogue.  While this was Plitchenko’s first time hosting an event, Ngyuen made it clear that he has done this quite often in the past.

The first performer of the night was Alan Hu, a student at SFCC, who played a cover of the song “Travelling” on the acoustic guitar. 

Chau Do was next on the piano and she performed a rendition of Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 9.” The smooth elegance of the piece was evident from the first chord, and by the silence and attentiveness of the crowd, it was well received by the audience.

“I was shaking,” said Chau Do following her performance. She has practiced piano for six years.

Yolanda Xu followed Chau Do’s performance with a crowd pleaser of her own. She played the guitar and sang. From the confidence with which she did so, it was hard to believe that she had only been practicing the guitar for about a month or so.

The show was in full swing by the time Joseph Liu, SFCC student, took the stage to perform a cover of G Eazy’s “Good Life.” With the heavy base of the song and a commanding presence he had the full attention of the audience.

“I used to listen to Eminem when my Dad would play him in the car,” Liu said. He also watched a TV show called “Rap China,” He finished his set with a Chinese rap.

A Chinese cultural group from SCC performed a dance that dated back to the Qing dynasty of China. The name of the dance is the “Misunderstanding of the Kite.” A story about two sisters attempting to gain the affection of the same man, and the things they tried to do to win his heart. The story was told entirely through dance.

There were also some singers who took the stage. An SFCC student who only provided their name as Ethan, sang a chinese song “Queen” about a man giving his all in a relationship and a woman who doesn’t try to reciprocate the efforts. During his soulful performance, he stepped off the stage and was singing on the same level as the audience. This closer intimacy was clear in the big applause he received. The other standout song was a duet of “Hello Vietnam.” The song is split between English lyrics and Vietnamese. The SFCC students Johnny Le, Tracy (Trang Bui), and Charlotte (Ngan), with an SFCC student who only gave his name as Binh playing the accompanying guitar.

The group that won the first SFCC international talent show was The Descendants of the Dragon.  The large group of Vietnamese SFCC students did a dance comprising multiple styles of dance and musical genres. Even though the music cut out multiple times during their performance, it didn’t slow them down. Rather it seemed more of a unified effort as the dancers all began singing the stopped song with more than a few voices contributed from the audience. “I just loved that moment,” said Minh Anh. “It was emotional.”

The choreography and lead of the group was Minh Anh a student who is just about to graduate from SFCC. The group practiced for three weeks, every day after classes.

“The time we practiced together is really a good memory,” said Trang Nguyen, an SFCC student who was also in the performance. She was one of four initial dancers, including Minh Anh, who all wore Ao Dai, a traditional Vietnamese dress.

As the dance transitioned from the classical dancing style of Vietnam into a more modern style, the number of dancers continued to grow until 17 dancers in all were performing.

The International Office managed to raise $406 from the talent show. There was not a single American student or performer in the show. It was a successful event that brought many international students on SFCC campus to show each other their skills and cheer each other on. A great night with a lot of smiles, and amazing memories for students and attendees to leave with. Also a TV.