Music and laughter filled the SSA auditorium as students performed cultural dances and songs during the iWeek Global Talent Show hosted by UTD’s Intercultural Programs and Alumni Office on April 10, 2026.
A whole program of performances was showcased in front of a panel of five judges, including Assistant Director of Global Alumni Engagement Ashfia Salemin, Assistant Director of Healthy Comets and Nutrition Bianca Schinzer, Big Howdy community volunteer Derek Sutt, UTD Alumni Vice President Nafis Nasim and former Assistant Director of Intercultural Programs Rodolfo Hernandez-Guerrero.
The performers themselves included organizations such as the Indian Student Association, Korean Language Club, Bengali Student Organization and Stop Pretending You Can’t Dance. Some individuals also showcased their cultural pieces, such as master’s of science student Zumar Ali, who started his performance playing an Indian classical music sequence called Raag Yaman on his guitar while singing along with semiclassical songs.
“My cultural heritage emphasizes philosophical thinking, and that reflects in my poetry and my music. I think that’s one of the most subtle and best ways to reach out to people from other parts of the world to showcase your culture,” Ali said.
He further explained his connection to music.
“Music is about emotions. If it’s felt then it is understood. If not, then it is just a tune, a random rhythm. So my musical journey is not just driven out of passion, but out of purpose as well. When both combine, it becomes divine,” Ali said.
Another performer, Ashirvadi Weerakkody, showcased a classical Sri Lankan dance called Kandyan, a quick, energetic dance performed to traditional Sri Lankan drums. Growing up with the dance, she was unable to continue it after moving to the United States. The talent show was her first opportunity to perform it again after 10 years.
“I went back to all those memories of how I performed and how it was a very big part of my life growing up. I have pretty much every costume that I wore back in Sri Lanka,” Weerakkody said.
She explained the significance of showcasing her culture on stage.
“I was raised in Sri Lankan culture. I’ve been here [in America] for a good amount of time to blend, but what I eat and how I think is still rooted back to my roots,” Weerakkody said.
Ending off the program, Telugu Student Association performed a mashup of Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, through different eras. The group included 20 members of the organization who participated in the dance. Krishy Nese, the art director, explained how the process of organizing this group felt.
“I get to see all kinds of different talents and different levels of skill in terms of dance and I really enjoy teaching them and coordinating everyone to perform. We have many people who are into classical dance and some are heavily into western so it’s really interesting to mix all of that,” Nese said.
TSA Vice President Manasvi Jampana was one of the performers and shared why the event was special to her.
“The majority of Hyderabad, that’s where I’m from in India, is very involved in the film industry. There are a lot of big movie stars from there, so movie culture is really big. Being able to showcase that away from home has been very fulfilling to me,” Jampana said.
The auditorium was filled with cheers and chants in support of teams, laughter at jokes made by the emcees, singing and clapping along to familiar songs throughout the show. UTD alumnus Ethan Bao shared what he found most enjoyable from the night and his thoughts on events like these.
“I like all the cultures coming out to represent themselves. I didn’t really know anything about Bangladeshi culture, but now I do. I think [these events are] really needed in this sort of time. Everyone’s kind of angry and divisive, but we need to be together. That’s what we evolved for,” Bao said.
The night concluded with an awards presentation. The four categories — first, second, third and special recognition — were awarded to UTD Taekwondo Club, the Vietnamese International Network of Culture, Education, and Friendship dance team, Weerakkody and Ali. As the concluding event of iWeek, this event created a final opportunity for students to demonstrate their cultures to a larger audience.
