The Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts welcomed various Asian organizations to the University of Connecticut for Asian Nite on Saturday, March 23, for Asian Nite. Asian Nite is an annual event sponsored by the Asian American Cultural Center (AsACC) and presented by the Pan Asian Council. This year’s event was held by Ohm Ghutadiaria and Eunice Kim and featured 15 performances.
The first was by Udaan, a group that “seeks to recreate the spirit and vigor of Bollywood film for onstage live performances and bring the world of Hindi-Filmi Fusion dance to UConn,” according to the organization’s UConntact page. The story they sought to show through dance described the various emotions related to a first-generation student’s journey. These emotions included anger, sadness, courage and peace.
The second performance was from the Japanese Student Association (JSA,) which was formed in 2014 and told a story through a Yosakoi dance. This style of dancing is popular at Japanese festivals and recreates folktales. This particular story was about a fisherman who saves a woman being bullied, only to discover she is actually a sea princess. JSA members used various props, including fans, to make their performance special.
Third was G!F Studio, which is a relatively new group as its members only started dancing six months ago, the emcee, Kim, stated. This group sought to blend the modern and traditional forms of classical Chinese dances. The group’s dance began with the slower, traditional form of dance with the dancers wearing white and pink dresses. As it progressed, it shifted to a modern take with Chinese pop music with the dancers wearing red varsity jackets.
Next was Husky Hungama, a Southeast Asian acapella team. “The team consists of a four-part acapella group and percussion that fuses Western music with traditional and modern South Asian music,” according to the group’s UConntact page. Combined with Southeast Asian music…
Read the full article here
