Spring festivities are well underway and The Asian American Student Association will be hosting their 25th Annual Asian Night this weekend. A cultural spectacle, the night will be unveiling a myriad of performances and demonstrations presented by Five-College students.
On April 5, the show will commence at 7 p.m. Advertising and invites through posters and Facebook.com have already been sent to students. While the free food and admissions are attractions for college students, the performances themselves should be enough to attract others from the community. For those not involved with the Asian American community on campus - Asian Night is yet another unfamiliar student affair at UMass.
Performed every year in the Fine Arts Center, Asian Night is a popular celebration of the diverse Asian community on campus and in the general Five-College community. This solely student-organized and student-performed event is already expecting over a thousand spectators, which will consist of current students, alumni and faculty members. The event itself can cater up to 1,900 audience members.
Typical performances done in the past include: traditional and modern dances, singing, hip-hop, stepping and martial arts. Colorful performances, music and costumes are expected. Several of the university's Registered Student Organizations members play a part. A new addition this year will be a fashion show featuring traditional and modern clothing organized by Taiwanese Student Association coordinator Angela Chen.
Another staple of Asian Night are the special guest speakers. Previous guest speakers that have shown up were Asian American artists who discussed their backgrounds in the entertainment industry. Singers, actors, comedians and writers of the past years have all offered amusing and fruitful insights into the world of entertainment and the arts.
This year, AASA has not one, but two special guest speakers lined up for the night. Spoken word artist John Nguyen and solo singer Heather Park have been invited to move the audience to laughter, tears, or cheers, and to spark interest in their performances.
Asian Night is a largely cooperative project with planning and organization beginning at the start of fall semester with the bulk of the work beginning around December. The executive board, which consists of President Will Wong, Vice President Sophia Quang, Treasurer Anthony Bui and Secretary Tiffany Chao, are the main organizers of the night. Stage management and performance coordinators are all required to help the night run smoothly.
AASA began Asian Night in 1983 in the hopes of promoting Asian awareness in the UMass community as both a show and a cultural learning experience. Since then, Asian Night has evolved, encompassing more performances and more variety with each year.
The night is being funded by the support of the UMass community. Contributors include the Arts Council, the Yuri Kochiyama Culture Center, Alumni Association, Office of Programs and Services for ALANA Students and Student Affairs Cultural Enrichment fund.
Christina Fong can be reached at cfong@student.umass.edu.
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