From Ukraine to China and from Mexico to Scotland, the International Folk Dance Ensemble brought a cultural Christmas to life with spins, dips, leaps and flips.
Carly Wanlass is president of the BYU Folk Dance Association and prepared for this show all semester. She loved to share what she learned about these cultures with the audience.
“We have our Indian piece, which is a story about a warrior coming home from war and then we're celebrating him in this connection he has with an old friend and just how each dance has a unique story that help us learn about the people," she said.
Wanlass said she enjoys being able to give these people an opportunity to be seen.
"It's not just the dance, but it's a story about the people and who they are," she said.
Piero Gongora is also on the team. He's been dancing since he was six years old. He said Christmas Around the World was a unifying experience and helped people feel at home during the holiday season.
"You don't have to feel alone. You can be home even though your home is like two thousand miles away from here, like we are brothers and sisters. We should be united in this time of the year," he said.
The performance included a depiction of the birth of Christ and scenes of people celebrating Christmas.
The folk dance team was joined by BYU Mountain Strings and guest dancers from Shelley School of Irish Dance, BYU Scottish Highland Dance Club and Harp Irish Dance Company.