Culture X 2011: Up, Up, and Away stayed true to its name. Last Saturday, students filled the Levin Ballroom for a night of music, dance, poetry and other performances of creative cultural expression, ready to be taken on a journey that spanned cultures and art forms.The committee for this year's show was comprised of Karen Hu '12, Divya Kanneganti '11, Akash Vadalia '12 and Ann Nin Wong '11. All four took to the stage at the start of the show to explain the meaning of Culture X and its importance to Brandeis then proceeded to interact with the audience by loudly chanting "culture" and having the audience respond with "X."

As for their intentions behind the theme of the show, the committee expressed that they hoped to "blow [the audience's] expectations away" with an amazing night of performances. It was with these words that the committee played an artsy video aptly set to the Far East Movement's (feat. Ryan Tedder) "Rocketeer." Far East Movement will also be performing at SpringFest in a few weeks. The film portrayed the committee's efforts leading up to the show and also featured some of the staff members of the Intercultural Center, which sponsored the show.

Following the short video, emcee Dan Ding '11 introduced the first of the 22 acts of the night, titled, "BAASA Goes Hip Hop," during which members of the Brandeis Asian American Students Association performed an energetic dance number to a medley of catchy hip-hop beats. After this spectacle, members of the Japanese Student Association gathered on stage and performed a mesmerizing dance that mimicked a stormy sea.

Next up was the small but enthusiastic Brandeis Cheerleading Squad. The squad, which usually cheers at the varsity men and women's basketball games, showcased its peppiness through its act, which was complete with high jumps and cradle catches. ¡AHORA! came on stage next and was greeted with particularly loud cheers from audience members anticipating the three Latin dance numbers performed by some of its members. The dances performed were the bachata, the punta/merengue and the reggaeton faja.

Another dance act, titled "Dhoom" after the Bollywood film, was next, combining elements of modern Indian and American culture. The beginning of the dance was set to Justin Bieber's "Baby" and even included a Bieber impersonator, who received chuckles from the audience.

Select members of the Korean Student Association then performed a striking dance that incorporated the use of fans. Audience members were so clearly taken in by the beauty and coordination of the choreography involving the fans that they cheered loudly when the dancers came together and moved their fans in unison in a wave formation. Other members of the KSA performed a more hip-hop-based dance after the fan act.

One of the final performances of Act I included Sax Appeal, Brandeis' saxophone quartet, which presented a version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and even showed off some of their dance moves to the song.

Before the intermission, Students for Tibet played a short video that spread the message of its goal to "bridge the gap between the Chinese and Tibetan students" and to "raise funds for the Tibetan Children Village school," according to the description of the club provided in the Culture X program.

The first performance of Act II was a touching rendition of Don Henley's "The Heart of the Matter," a song that discusses love, an element that connects all cultures. The number was sung by Stephanie Johnson '13 and Danielle Pulton '12 and accompanied by Nikhil Malik '13, Joseph Recabo '13, and Jake Weiner '13 on various instruments.

Dance performances made up the majority of the second act of the show. There was an energetic Russian folk dance, "Kalinka Malinka,"which that portrayed a coming-of-age story about love. Two other lively dance numbers followed this one. The African Dance Club presented choreography that originated in Mali and that is traditionally performed to welcome guests. This piece was followed by a performance by the R3b3ls of Wahala, a group of dancers decked out in intricate face paint.

Continuing with the theme of dance, the Adagio Dance Ensemble performed the piece "Conversations about Dance," during which the dancers showed off interpretive choreography set to a soundtrack of the dancers speaking about why they love to dance. Next, Amanda Dryer '13 added another kind of energy to the evening with the passionate performance of her original work, "Truth: a Letter to my Zadie," a poem she had written for her grandfather.

Three more of Brandeis' many dance groups performed next. First, the Brandeis Swingers transported the audience back in time with their series of dance numbers. Then, the So Unique step team showed off their stomping talents. All of So Unique's dancers were in complete unison, and this made for an amazing presence onstage.

The Kaos Kids performed a circus-themed hip-hop number next. Although they are a relatively new dance group on campus-only a year old-they proved that they are already a huge presence on campus, as the audience responded with deafening applause for their performance.

After a fierce rap by Brandeis' own Saz.É (Osaze Akerejah '14), the Brandeis Salseros showed off some Latin culture with their salsa dancing. The Southeast Asian Club wrapped up what had been a terrific evening with a dance that told the story of a princess, followed by a more freestyle piece.

The exciting and artistic evening showed the beauty produced when so many different cultures come together. All of the performances made for an exciting evening that really embodied Brandeis' values. To continue the celebration of the many cultures and diversity on campus, the ICC, Student Events, ¡AHORA! and the Campus Center Team sponsored a '90s glow rave after-party in the Sherman Function Hall as part of Bronstein Week.