South’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) hosted its first ever Around the World Dance on Jan. 31. Many South clubs joined with GSA to contribute music, food and activities from different cultures to the dance.

Senior Emily Leonard, GSA club president, invited the other clubs to participate in an effort to encourage more South students to experience the dance. While many students from other schools have attended South’s past GSA dances, Leonard said she wanted to increase South involvement.

“It’s always been an other-school dance, and I didn’t

Stand for Peace (Stand) is one group that partnered with GSA.

“Our goal for GSA is to key into [some] international issues [with] visual presentations for the dance,” senior Stand leader Julia Jacobs said.

According to Jacobs, around 76 countries still ban homosexuality. The main focus of their booth at the dance was to raise awareness of these issues.

Stand member Anbang Zhang said that he enjoyed the inclusion of all the clubs into the dance.

“It brings some new energy to it, especially because it brings people from different backgrounds than who usually go […] I think it’s a way of introducing people to [the dance],” Zhang said.

Other participants included Desi Club members, who brought Indian food and music, French Club members, who made crepes and played French music, Japanese Club members, who gave origami lessons and sold handmade Japanese toys, and Latino Heat dancers, who performed a routine.

Sejal Schullo, Desi Club sponsor, said that Desi Club became involved after hearing GSA’s goals for the dance.

“They were trying to […] build a larger community of all the smaller communities, which […] is a great thing to do here at GBS, because sometimes we are a little divided even though we’re such a big school,” Schullo said.

Schullo also thought it was important to show support because it was GSA’s first school-wide event.

“We decided we would come and attend and be supportive, because it’s the GSA’s […] first try, and I think it’s very successful, hosting something that is [school-wide], and I’m very excited to be part of it,” Schullo said.

Leonard hopes that the number of clubs at this year’s Around the World dance will continue with future dances, even if GSA chooses other themes.

“They don’t have to do Around the World obviously every year, but I think that now that we’ve got that connection with other clubs it’ll be easier to be like, ‘Hey, actually, Erika’s Lighthouse, we want to do this dance, do you think you could help us out with that?’” Leonard said. “I think building a bond now will make it so much easier for the club next year and after that.”

Schullo said Desi Club would be interested in returning to a future dance.

“I think we would totally do it again in a heartbeat,” Schullo said.