Dance, music, food, cultural information and scholarships were all part of the festivities at the ninth annual Colombian Night on Saturday.

The event began at 5:30 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union with Colombian inspired piano music and a traditional dinner of sancocho, pinchos and obleas.

The event moved to Catlett Music Center at 8 p.m., where the primary entertainment was held. The theme was “Amazing Faces, Amazing Places.”

More than 50 dancers performed in dances that highlighted the five regions of Colombia.

“The dances basically let everyone know about the different regions (of Colombia),” said Kalena Gonzalez, Colombian Student Association member, who danced in the plains region show.

The dances ranged from tribal rituals, as in the case of the Amazonas region’s show, to the plains region, which featured a dance similar to the waltz, and many other dances in between.

Informational videos about Colombia were shown preceding each dance to provide the audience with a short history of the region.

Scholarships totalling $18,000 were awarded to the student association members. Half of the money was matched funds from the OU Alumni Association.

Renee Hoelscher, advertising sophomore, said she decided to come to the event because she spent five days in Colombia and loved it.

“It was so cool to see an entirely different culture,” Hoelscher said. “Both the people and the music were just so nice there.”

The band Tekumbé played after the cultural dances. Tekumbé’s music blends Latin music and Colombian folklore with new sounds, according to its MySpace page.

Following the show at Catlett, an after-party was held in the main room at Club 101 featuring Houston band Farra 8.