Under the theme of “Unity through Diversity,” more than 400 people gathered in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union on Friday to see a whirlwind of fabrics, dancing and music.

International students and Ames residents participated in an International Cultural Night, sponsored by the International Student Council. The night was held instead of International Cultural Week.

Ali Khalid, president of the International Student Council and senior in electrical engineering said the celebration was successful.

“We had a wonderful crowd and a lot of participation from everybody,” he said.

“After a long time of the preparation, ISC were able to unite many different international student organizations and represent the international student body at ISU.”

Free food and admission was a factor in the higher attendance from last year, Khalid said.

The event included a welcome speech by Todd Holcomb, associate vice president for student affairs, as well as traditional dances and a fashion show exhibiting the many styles of clothing from around the world.

The fashion from around the world included attire from South America, Africa and Asia.

Jian Qiang Wang, graduate assistant in statistics and a part of the Chinese fashion show, said the event served as an opportunity to experience sights and sounds of different cultures.

“It was a mixture of various cultures and a good chance to get to know each other,” he said.

There was a lion dance performed by four members of the Malaysian Student Association. The lion-costumed students danced on stage briefly before mingling with the crowd and bringing the rhythm of the dance to the attendees.

Indonesian students performed a Saman dance where men and women lined up in a row on the stage and started to move their hands, making complex patterns.

An Indonesian band played three pop songs from their home country and the crowd sang along with the band.

The event closed with a Middle Eastern dance.

Jin-ho Lee, junior in biophysics, said he has been to many international cultural shows in the past, but said this one was the best.

“It was awesome tonight. I was impressed by the turnout and the performances that spoke to their heritage. The Saman dance was really electrifying and unforgettable,” he said.

The International Student Council serves as an umbrella organization uniting 19 international student clubs at Iowa State.

Khalid said the council plans to have International Week next semester because they did not have funding from the Government of the Student Body to hold it this semester.

International Week is a weeklong event that includes cultural displays, performances, music, dance and ethnic food from around the world.

“We hope to get funding from the GSB next semester so that we can have International Week,” Khalid said.