The York Federation of Students (YFS) is hosting another week-long celebration of international art, food, fashion, and dance. This year’s CultureFest will culminate in Cultural Explosion — a dance and music performance that will take place from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29 at Universal Event Space near Highway 7.
Cultural Explosion is a large-scale showcase during which cultural clubs curate dance productions representing different elements of their rich cultural heritages. The show is well known for its vibrant and elaborate storytelling performances, all of which are entirely developed by the students who fill up the stage.
“For many, Cultural Explosion is where one’s passion for dance and performance is reignited, and it brings the Federation great joy to be able to host such an event every year,” says Emir Skrijelj, YFS’ Vice President Campus Life. “Not only does Cultural Explosion celebrate the diversity and talent of our student body, it also highlights how the celebration of our different cultural heritages can serve to bring people together. Most importantly, it reaffirms to our students that, no matter where they come from, there is a space dedicated to celebrating them here at York University.”
Alongside awards for the rest of the CultureFest events, special awards will be given out for Cultural Explosion performances and will be announced at the end of the event by the judges. The Cultural Explosion awards include recognition for choreography, musical mix, artistic production, narrative, and more. Last year, the Filipino Student Association at York (FSAY) won four awards for their phenomenal performance: Best Dance Narrative, first place for the parade, second place for the fashion show, and third place for the overall Cultural Explosion dance.
Tifanny Monzon, FSAY’s Events Director, describes the Philippines as a country defined by culture and resilience. “This year’s Culture Fest gave us an opportunity to not only showcase the traits we are known for,” she says, “but also to…shed light on the tragedy of earthquakes and natural disasters back in the Philippines, showing that despite hardship and loss, we are able to unite as one and represent a culture and community that is strong and indestructible.”
Marco Gemarino, FSAY’s Dance Instructor and Choreographer, explains the significance of CultureFest and Cultural Explosion for the students involved in the club. He emphasizes the importance of being given a platform to share stories and express their “Filipino spirit” in every way they can. “The goal,” he says, “is to make our culture not just known, but seen and felt by all others while also acknowledging our place with other cultures in this beautiful, diverse world we live in today.”
Karl Adormeo, VP of Cultural Affairs, brings another perspective to Cultural Explosion as a performer on Canada’s Got Talent in 2025, a feat requiring nine months of intense practice. From this experience, he learned about the importance of mutual care within dance — an approach he took to this year’s Cultural Explosion performance.
“Stage after stage,” Adormeo relates, “I’m only learning that there is always so much more of our culture and heritage to be shared. To discover all those things through this process with all these people is an honor and joy.” With every performance, he hopes that the Filipino community on campus will come closer together and become aware of FSAY and other cultural initiatives at York.
Cultural Explosion will feature performances by FSAY alongside several other cultural clubs on campus to represent stories and traditions from around the world. Join YFS and York’s cultural clubs on Jan. 29 and see all the world on one stage. Learn more about CultureFest here.
