Editor’s Note: This is the eighth in a series of nine international week stories about Ethnic Clubs to highlight the diversity of Niles West.

If you enjoy singing and dancing along to Bollywood music, eating, listening to new ideas, learning new languages, and beautiful henna tattoos, Indo-Pak is the club for you. Indo-Pak, sponsored by chemistry teacher Parin Patel, is a club that focuses on the South Asian cultures. They enjoy spreading traditions, customs, and language to the rest of the school and community.

Patel is enthusiastic about this year’s International Night performance, which will not only show their talent, but also show what the club is about through a cultural dance.

“I’m looking forward to the excitement and the music from the performance. The students have created a great mix and a great large group mix,” Patel said. “I’m looking forward to seeing it put together and to see all that hard work pay off. Students in Indo-Pak learn about the different cultures that are represented at our school. Students can experience a sense of belonging. Overall, it is just a fun community of people who want to hang out and celebrate their culture.”

For this year’s International Night, Indo-Pak is bringing to the viewers a combination of American and South Asian cultures into one.

Indo-Pak board member and choreographer, junior Payal Patel, is most definitely looking forward to not only International Night, but Indo-Pak Night, where her choreography will be showcased.

“This performance reflects the members of our club; we are a fusion of American and South Asian culture,” Payal Patel said. “Another big night coming up is Indo-Pak Night, and in April of this year, we are hosting it. The night consists of performances by students from different schools like Niles North, Maine East, and others. These performances are usually very elaborate and mind-blowing so I am definitely looking forward to it.”

Fellow board member and choreographer, junior Lineya Andrews, also shared her excitement for the upcoming events.

“For International Night, we always perform one officers dance, one members dance, and at the end we have a fashion show for anyone who wants to participate,” Andrews said. “Both dances include upbeat and fast steps which take many practices to get down, but in the end it’s all worth it because by the time the night arrives, everyone is able to show off their dance skills.”

Indo-Pak meets in room 3220 on Tuesdays and 3415 on Thursdays after school. Indo-Pak’s members strive to welcome and accept diversity and discover new customs and beliefs.