As tradition has it, the Grand Dinner of the 10th Malaysian Intervarsity Games, STIG-X 2013, was held on the second night of the games at one of the most prestigious venues in Volgograd – the city’s Musical Theatre.

The highly anticipated event commenced at 8pm, with a brief introduction by the four emcees: Mr. Daryl, Mr. Husaini, Ms. Sulastini and Ms. Intan.

First on the list was the music video of the STIG-X’s official song «You and I». Filmed by Mr. Hansley Liew and Mr. Eccleston Kendrick, including footage of our guests from different universities, the audience cheered upon seeing themselves and their friends on screen.

With the video finished, came a two-part performance consisting of a solo song followed by a ballet dance, courtesy of the pleasant theatre’s staff. Their soloist singer Roman Bailov wooed the audience with his strong sonorous vocal, and as he left the stage, the two ballet dancers made their entry, dancing a gentle and graceful ballet accompanied by the ageless melodious tune of Italian composer Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni.

Right after the theatre’s people, our student band «X-amplified» performed 2 songs – «I’m Still Here» by «Horizon», and «Mountain Sound» by «Monsters & Men». With the blazing beats from the drums and the killer riffs from the guitarists, the audience’s spirits soared high, they cheered hard, clapping their hands along with the rhythm.

Next up, another Russian dance troupe, dubbed «Black Jack» stormed the stage, further fuelling the excitement of the audience. Dressed in American military accents, they strutted across the stage perfectly synchronized as soldiers, the solid pounding of their boots in rhythm with the beats of the music truly a sight to behold.

With the exit of «Black Jack», a performance courtesy of the university’s Student Council came up. Clad in Russian traditional folk costumes of the 17-19th centuries – sarafans, they spun gracefully onstage, along with the Russian traditional golden oldie «Zolotaya Yarmarka» (lit. «Golden Fair»), creating a perfect maidens’ capriccio.

Then a performance by our own students, the dance troupe «Silver Steppers», led by Ms.Vanusha. With slick moves and smooth coordination, they came nothing short of shining, living up to their namesake, bringing the excitement of the crowd to even higher levels.

Following the «Silver Steppers», Volgograd’s Chinese dancing team «Mystique» led by Ms. Chia entered onstage. Donning red and black traditional costumes, holding Chinese fans, they put up a performance worthy of the title «Warriors’ Dance», a strong dance conveying the indomitable spirit of the female warriors of the past.

Before the dinner break, a traditional Malay Zapin dance led by Mr. Razi was brought on stage. A traditional dance usually comprising members of both genders, STIG-X GRAND DINNER’s Zapin surprised the audience with a fully male troupe. However, their caper across the stage was simply marvellous, a genuine crystallization of the definition “a dance only fit for the eyes of a king”.

After the Zapin performance a half-hour break for dinner was allotted for the audience.

After dinner the guests were ushered back into the hall for the second part of the performances. First up after dinner was a drama sketch by our students, carefully planned throughout the past year, directed by Mr. Eccleston Kendrick and Ms. Meerabanu, entitled «How Roti John Got Its Name». The embodiment of the word «hilarious», the cast constantly had the crowd in fits of laughter with their antics.

Following the end of the drama, Mr. Harinath and his troupe «Spirit» consisting of not only Malaysian Indians, but Original Indians as well took the stage, dancing a variety of dances, from Indian to Salsa and others, stimulating the audience even further.

Ms. Chia once again led a team onto the stage, this time clad in black clothes, ready for a modern dance. Dancing to the song «Fantastic Baby», they made the audience go wild with their agile movements.

After the modern dance, a line-up of dancers christened «Penguinz» led by Mr.Vinodh came up. Having practiced for almost a year outdoors and indoors, their steps were perfectly coordinated, their moves flawless, producing a spectacular performance.

With the event drawing an end, the final performance was a live band led by Mr. Izzat Arslan. With soothing vocals from different singers, and gentle melodies, singing songs of different languages, from English to Malay to Chinese, they attracted the audience into singing along with them, slowly changing the atmosphere into a melancholic one, a perfect end for the Grand Dinner of the 10th Malaysian Intervarsity Games, STIG-X 2013.

By Khor Leet Liang,
STIG-X MEDIA TEAM