Deanna Hoying, Susan Rouse, and Mercedes Nelson, dancers with Flamenco Louisville for three years, seven years, and five years respectively; performed with singer Shannon Fitzgerald at the International Festival Tuesday, March 10. Hoying said the group has been dancing together for years. “My favorite part is that we are like a family,” Rouse said. Nelson appreciates how Flamenco challenges her in many different ways. Fitzgerald moved to Huelva, Spain with her husband and taught English. When she came back to the United States she was homesick for Spain. “I found Flamenco Louisville and decided to join them. Once you leave college it’s hard to find performance opportunities unless you’re part of a performance group or you do karaoke,” she said. Fitzgerald has been singing her whole life but has been singing with Louisville Flamenco for two and a half years.

Flamenco dancing at the IU Southeast International Festival

The 17th annual IU Southeast International Festival was held Tuesday March 10, 2015 and featured many different cultures.

Flamenco dancing at the IU Southeast International Festival

Ishwarya Iyer, adjunct professor of social informatics, tattoos henna on Julie Schubert, graduate student. The Center for Cultural Resources (CCR), located on the second floor of the library, had a booth at the International Festival in which they gave free henna tattoos. “We always do it [henna tattoos] for free. It’s really popular and a lot of people usually have questions about being a tattooist. They also ask about the design and why they chose that one and what it means. We are preserving the art and giving back to campus, which makes us feel more connected,” Sridhar Ramachandran, associate professor of informatics, said. According to Ramachandran, the CCR has always encouraged diversity on campus. “The International Festival is a good platform to see diversity on campus. It’s an annual event so it’s become part of the culture. We feel more connected with campus, having seen diversity increase over time,” he said.

Julie Schubert, graduate student has a henna tattoo placed by Ishwarya Iyer, adjunct professor of social informatics

Kimberly Pelle, manager of the adult student center, served students at the International Festival Tuesday, March 10. She volunteers for the International Festival every year because she enjoys interacting with students and teaching them something new about international foods. “I love curry because I’m partial to spicy, exotic flavors. When I was younger, I went to boarding school in India,” Pelle said.

Mehru Hassan, of Bollywood Dance Louisville engages the crowd in her performance

Mehru Hassan, of Bollywood Dance Louisville, performed at the International Festival Tuesday, March 10. She participated in the festival because she thought representing India would be a lot of fun and because she loves to share the culture and energy of Bollywood Dance. “It is very high energy, kinda a melting pot of all sorts of dance: ballet, tap, jazz, and classical. I found a home in it because it incorporates all those things together beautifully,” Hassan said. She teaches Bollywood dancing on the weekends.

Mehru Hassan, of Bollywood Dance Louisville preforms at the IU Southeast International Festival

Chancellor Ray Wallace was recognized for his photography in a contest, which was awarded Tuesday, March 10 at the International Festival. Wallace saw the local competition and decided to enter, but he was glad it was a blind contest. “Sometimes I’ve got good luck and sometimes I’m ignored. I was fortunate,” he said. Wallace said he was lucky in taking his photo, “Japanese Bookstore Dreams.” “I was in Tokyo, walking down the street. I looked across and saw a young woman looking intently at a book. I had a long telephoto lens so I was not intruding on the moment. A few days later, I started really looking at it; I was lucky,” he said.

Brian Dennis, a senior in psychology, won the photo contest with his two photos “A Cheap View” and “Kudu’s Gaze” at the International Festival Tuesday, March 10. Dennis entered photos based on the praise of others, although he never imagined he would win. “Winning isn’t important, but being in the company of great photographers like Chancellor Wallace is a pretty incredible experience,” said Dennis.

The Louisville Lion Dance team performed at the International Festival providing a show and education

The Louisville Lion Dance team performed at the International Festival Tuesday, March 10. The dancers range in age from 12 to 22. Team Leader Hugo Tran said he likes seeing the crowd happy, especially when they laugh. Dancer Tony Ha said he enjoys seeing new faces when they perform. “We really enjoy preserving the art of lion dancing and bringing it to the community, no matter the background or age,” Kevin Le, who has been dancing for nine years.

During the Lion Dance, the performers interacted with the audience

The Louisville Lion Dance team dance to music at the IU Southeast International Festival

The Louisville Lion Dance team performed at the International Festival Tuesday, March 10