By Sophia Mao

Culture Heritage Night is a way for Great Neck South students to appreciate the school’s diverse student body and celebrate their heritage. True to its name, the show is a collaboration between Asian Culture Club, Hispanic Culture Club, African-American Culture Club, Hebrew Culture Club, and American Sign Language. On the night of the show, you can see lions prancing across the stage, drums resonating throughout the auditorium, dancers spinning to music, and much more.

But behind these various acts are weeks, days, and hours of practice and planning. From as early as September, members of Asian Culture Club can be seen throughout the school with their props. Now that the show is closely approaching, it is difficult to stay after school without catching a glimpse of club members carrying ribbons, fans, lion heads, drums, staffs, and more.

At the head of Asian Culture Club is their board, which is comprised of six students. They are tasked with various responsibilities, such as supervising eleven acts and over one hundred members. Although the type of acts are the same as last year—Chinese Ribbon, Chinese Yo-Yo, Indian Techno, J-dance, Korean Drums, Korean Fan, Korean Rock Band, Korean Techno, Lion Dance, Taekwondo, and Wushu—the order in which they will perform is not determined until the week prior to the event. This responsibility is tasked to senior co-chairs Annice Chan and Ryan Chen. They take into account students who do multiple acts, the time it takes for each act to set up, as well as other factors. If the other board members approve, the final lineup is set for the show.

Contrary to some beliefs, the last act is not necessarily the most hyped or best act of the show. “All the acts are amazing. They all put in a lot of effort and work into it. Just because you’re in the beginning, you’re in the middle, or you’re in the end, doesn’t mean your act is better or worse,” Ryan Chen said.

“The effort these groups put into the performance made it an unforgettable experience,” senior Katherine Chin said. “I love every second of it.”