Across the Generasianz

MATT CARASELLA / senior photographer Top: UVa. student Christina Wong performs the Kung Fu Fan Dance. Bottom: Eight students perform the Classical/Modern Indian Dance.

Multicultural was the buzzword and variety was the objective as Wilson Hall pulsed to the Asian Student Union Culture Show Friday night.

The ASU and University Program Board sponsored the fourth annual culture show. The show was entitled "Generasianz," an appropriate name for what co-host junior Odyssey Lopez described as "a mixture of traditional and modern acts from many different cultures." Acts ranged from those that represented traditional Asian cultures as well as modernized culture in the forms of dance, music and fashion.

Featuring 14 different acts, the show included three Indian dances, a traditional Punjabi dance, a traditional Filipino dance performed by the organization of young Filipino-Americans (OYFA) from the University of Virginia, an Asian band called MSG (Mysteriously Sexy Guys) from Virginia Tech, a Kung Fu Fan Dance and several singing acts.

Coordinated by junior Angela Morgan and senior Phuong Le, "Generasianz" also featured a fashion show that blended traditional and modern Asian fashions such as Chinese dresses, silk kimonos, Indian saris and intricate Pakistani outfits. The fashion show also featured clothing by designers Yoshae Kim and Mi&Gi, who are both JMU graduates.

"I liked the fashion show a lot," freshman Zoha Ghaffar said. "The girls were beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing the traditional clothing from other countries."

Performers also showcased their cultures through song. Senior Vannara So performed Celine Dion's song, "My Heart Will Go On," in Cambodian, Vietnamese and English. Another of the singing acts featured sophomore Regina Lee singing "Forever With You" in Korean. Freshman Raphael Villacrusis sang a Filipino song, "Hindi Kita Malilmutan," in his native language as well.

Another one of JMU's many talented Asian students, sophomore Shereen Farahani, performed two Iranian solo piano pieces by composer Fariborz Lachini. "I wanted to perform tonight because I really want more Persian culture in JMU," she said. "I want to inspire Iranian students to be proud of their culture as well as increase cultural awareness among the entire student body."

MATT CARASELLA / senior photographer Top: Senior Vannara So sings "My Heart Will Go On" In three languages. Bottom: UVa. student Joanna Wong dances with "snaps."

Freshman Resham Deswani, a dancer in the Northern Indian Dance "Nasha," said, "I danced tonight because I enjoy performing for people. The whole experience of being a part of this show helped me get to know lots of different people and taught me about different backgrounds." The dancers began rehearsing in October and the show contained several more acts than it had last year.

"The show was energy-packed. The music was great and the show was well organized," Ghaffar said. "Everyone did an excellent job with dancing, singing and performing."

Deswani agreed that the show was well-organized. "I feel such shows are a must in a school to bring about more communication among students," she said. "It was great working in the show. It was quite hectic but fun."

ASU is an organization on campus that encourages all students to learn about and share Asian culture. While the show was intended for entertainment, it also was about appreciating the cultural differences at JMU.