Rangeela, a Calvin favorite deferred throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and then challenged by a transition from a university-run program to a student organization, is on the come-up this year with a marked uptake in enthusiasm and participation. 

“This year has come with a sense of stability for the first time in a while for the organization,” Horacio Portillo Diaz, Rangeela president and a junior studying graphic design, said. “Last year was a landmark year in laying down groundwork and re-establishing the Rangeela name with the Calvin community.” Portillo Diaz gave the credit for this year’s show’s success to last year’s president Su Ji Lim’s knowledge and guidance. 

Rangeela is an “annual international student cultural showcase” created to allow the Calvin community to “enjoy music, drama, and dance, to celebrate the vibrant cultures in the beautiful, diverse world God has created,” according to Calvin’s website. 

“Being able to showcase all of who we are and what we bring to Calvin (in my opinion) is critical in creating an inclusive and welcoming environment!” Annie Mas-Smith, director of the service-learning center and co-advisor to Rangeela, told Chimes. 

Like so many other student life opportunities, Rangeela took a hit during the COVID-19 years, losing a lot of infrastructural and financial support during that time. This year has come as a “pleasant surprise,” according to Portillo Diaz after last year’s Rangeela committee spent the last year figuring out when and where to hold practices without interim, reestablishing how to function as a student organization and reacquainting the broader Calvin community to the show.

This year, Portillo Diaz also said that the student organization has “managed to secure a support (infrastructural and financial) similar to that of pre-Covid shows,” and is now able to spread their practices onto two different days. The increased flexibility allows act leaders to more easily coordinate acts. Along with the institutional and financial support, Rangeela is also experiencing an exponential increase in student participation. “After selling out last year, we knew that 2023-2024 would come with growth,” Portillo Diaz said. “We had to adapt from hosting our kickoff in a lecture hall to overtaking both levels of Johnny’s.” The kickoff saw a total of over 350 signups for individual acts and the show now boasts a final roster of around 275 participants. 

“The Committee has been intentional about including all students in the performances and being creative with how we represent our community,” Mas-Smith told Chimes. To that end, Rangeela has been intentionally reaching out to other student organizations. This year, Calvin’s Gospel Choir will be opening the show.

 “A Rangeela myth we have been trying to get rid of is the concept that only international students participate,” Portillo Diaz told Chimes. This year act leader demographics boast the highest number of third-culture kids and leaders with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds Rangeela has seen since before COVID.  Participants included many others who wanted to become immersed in their friends’ cultures. “Being able to see my friends/leaders have their close friends and peers in their acts (some of whom grew up as close [to Calvin] as 10 minutes away) is a reminder that Calvin truly cares about the cultures they foster and welcome,” Portillo Diaz said.

Rangeela is also bringing back the fashion show introduced in last year’s show. “After loving the amount of interest the fashion show piqued last year, we were left to ponder on how to expand it. The answer was videography,” Portillo Diaz said.  The team has been impressed with “the strong narrative” and the “justice to the impeccable details in cultural outfits” visible from anywhere in the theater. “I could go on and on about it… but the truth is, nothing beats seeing it live,” Portillo Diaz said. 

“It is only through the dedication (and blood, sweat, and tears) of our dedicated international student body that this signature student event continues to happen,” Mas-Smith told Chimes. “My hope is that the audience truly embraces the theme of ‘The Invite’ to step outside of themselves for a night and learn more about who we are!” 

Performances are happening on February 23 and 24 at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Calvin box office.