'Asian Nite' Celebrates Heritage

Loud applause, waves of laughter and diverse music filled the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts Saturday night for the annual Asian Nite at UConn. A large crowd gathered to experience traditional music, comedy skits, and cultural stories. This was the first year Asian Nite was produced and planned by student organizations and groups in collaboration with the Asian American Cultural Center (AsACC), according to an Asian Nite flyer.

The hosts of the show were a group called iLL-Literacy made up of four individuals. According to their website, iLL-Literacy "is not your everyday snap-your-fingers-in-berets poetry. In fact, iLL-Literacy's unique fusion of spoken word with elements of hip-hop, experimental theater, and visual arts has landed the crew among crowds over the United States and Europe, sharing the stage with such heavy hitters as Common and Black Star."

The event featured performances by UConn Surya, Chinese Undergraduate Students Association, Male Asian Cultural Society, Faith Christian Fellowship, Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Chinese Yo-Yoers, UConn Taiko, Bole Tho, Tarangum, Filipino American Students Association, Vietnamese Students Association, Sticky Rice, A Minor and Husky Bhangra.

The night started out with such acts as "Butterfly Lovers Concerto" by the Chinese Undergraduate Student Association. This performance combined a traditional Chinese tale with violin and piano play. This serene, peaceful scene had a relaxing effect on the audience. This relaxation did not last long, as subsequent acts provided a contrast to traditional music with modern pop music with a hip-hop twist.

"The contrast between the beautiful traditional music and the hip-hop influence hosts was very different but effective," said Deanna Morabito, an 8th-semester communication major.

The Male Asian Cultural Society provided a high-energy martial arts skit that had a cinematic quality to it. The Kappa Phi Lambda sorority followed the Faith Christian Fellowship's act with similar hip-hop influenced choreography and step dancing.

"Kappa, their stepping was amazing, they had perfect precision," said Jessica Bennett, an 8th-semester psychology major, referring to her favorite part of the show.

Not only were the performances exciting for the audience, but the performers themselves expressed excitement in performing for the large crowd.

Joe Gong, a chemistry graduate student and performer for the UConn Taiko, said his favorite part of the show was "the excitement, being on stage, and going at it. The group's been doing this for the third year now and this is my second year, it's a great experience."

The hosts provided comedic relief and entertainment by mixing modern diversity with antiquated racial prejudices. At one point, the host addressed the audience by saying, "Why I write race poems example 23: McDonalds. What the [...] is an Asian Salad?"

After the Chinese Yo-Yoers used strings to perform exhilarating stunts, one of the hosts, Adriel Luis, said, "I want to do that. Do you think they could help me learn, I'm sure they can pull some strings for me."

With no pun intended, whether it was traditional music, modern pop or comedy, Asian Nite was stellar and did not disappoint.