Dancing lions, gymnastic breakdancers and Taiko drummers pleased a crowd of about 100 people in Salomon 101 on Friday night at the Asian Arts Fest.
The annual event, sponsored by the Asian American Student Association, included eight student group performances blending traditional and modern influences from a variety of Asian cultures.
The title of the event, "Capturing Images: A Collage of Our Community," reflects the diversity of acts presented during the two-hour performance.
The night began with Chinese lion dancing, which has been a traditional part of Chinese New Year celebrations for over two thousand years, according to the event's program. The dance featured two pairs of dancers - each sharing one lion costume - moving to the percussive beats of live musicians. The crowd clapped enthusiastically to the rhythm of the music as the dancers meandered through the audience. This performance was followed by traditional Korean drumming, known as Hansori.
The all-female Filipino spoken-word group Archipelag-a took the stage to deliver poetry that discussed themes of female empowerment and the importance of cultural roots. Attendee Sonia Russo '09 said she particularly enjoyed Archipelag-a and that they represented a "voice missing on campus."
The nationally ranked Brown Taekwondo team then gave a board-breaking performance. It included a finale that featured a student with a black belt smashing a stack of eight one-inch-thick concrete blocks in a single punch, which received enthusiastic applause.
The team members sold candy during the intermission to raise money for their trip to nationals at Stanford University. Master Instructor Sung Park '99, a former president of the team, said he was "very excited" about nationals and that the team has been training "very hard," including regular 7 a.m. practices.
Angela Yang '09, the team's current president, said she hopes to send 28 people to Stanford. So far, the team has only raised enough money to send 10.
The second act included the powerful rhythms of Japanese Taiko drums and a whimsical duet performance by dancers from the South Asian company, Badmaash. In a more contemporary piece, Brown's Break Dancing Club excited the crowd with impressive moves to an electronic hip-hop mix. Dancer Gerardo Tejada '09 stood out when he ran up a wall and did a back-flip.
The final act of the night, by the Filipino Alliance, resonated with the collage theme of the evening by combining traditional Filipino with modern hip-hop dance styles. Audience member Toni Ramirez '08 said she "appreciated the diversity and culture they were able to bring to the show."
Despite some technical difficulties, the audience was engaged and supportive throughout the show, cheering performers on with shouts of encouragement.
Eric Lee '10, who helped plan the festival, said he was pleased with the event overall, but thought the rain may have dampened turnout. He said the event was intended to "show off the culture of groups and bring the groups together and put on a great show." AASA charged $3 for tickets in order to cover the costs of organizing the event, Lee said.
The Arts Fest line-up changes from year to year. "Every time is something new," said veteran attendee Mark Doss '09. Eva Kranjc '09, who also attended last year's show, said she thought this year's was better and especially enjoyed the Taekwondo demonstration. She said she thought planners were "more organized and had lots of cool new stuff."
In addition to the live performances, the lobby of Salomon displayed student artwork, including photographs, collages and a video.
"We had a great time putting Arts Fest together, and we're glad people had a good time," Lee said.
Jay Cao '02, who was born in China, said he was "very impressed" with the event. He was pleased that Asians born in America could "enjoy who they are and what their culture brings to them," he said.
