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 were songs like “Beauty And A Beat” by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj, and “Give Me Everything” by Afrojack, Ne-Yo and Pitbull.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its founding, the Filipino American Student Association (FASA) performed a three-part dance that told a story. The story involved a woman who fell for a man and engaged in a dance of courtship. Then, the suitor was attacked by a warrior who also sought her hand, which led to a stunt performance. The warrior was killed in combat but was resurrected and ordered to get a golden flute that held the suitor’s life within it. Incensed with both the suitor and warrior’s behavior, the woman defeated both in combat and decided that she no longer needed to get married.
The sixth performance was from the Nepali Student Association (NSA). Nepal is home to 123 different languages, and NSA members danced to music from each with seamless transitions and upbeat tempos. They also used hand drums and other props in their performance.
Seventh was Husky Bhangra. This dance team competes nationally and performs Bhangra, “a form of dance, which originated in Punjab, India and encompasses energetic and lively moves and styles,” as stated on the team’s UConntact page. The group was formed in 2005 and engaged in fast-paced rhythms while dancing. For this year’s Asian Nite performance, they also used a sapp. “It is a wooden instrument with multiple individual pieces of wood that were held together with bolts and screws,” according to AMongia Passion Blog.
Next was T-Huskies, or the Taekwondo Huskies Demonstration Team, a group that regularly performs at Asian Nite. Each student’s skill and progress was showcased through various stacks of wooden planks being broken by punches and kicks. They also jumped and flipped through the air with music playing in the background.
After the intermission, there was a duo performance by Neha Raghunath and Alexander Nip. The two met in high school and have performed together at various events. Nip’s piano and Raghunath’s flute serenaded the audience. Their music combined their sonatas to create a beautiful K-pop medley.
The 10th performance was from Sanskriti Shakti. The emcee Ghutadiaria defined the word “sanskriti” as being “culture” in Hindi and Sanskrit. Shakti is an offshoot of the main organization, Sanskriti, at UConn. This dance group incorporated music from six different languages yet managed to tie them together well.
Following this was the Thai, Lao and Cambodian Student Association (TLCSA) who, like FASA and JSA, told a story through dance. The song accompanying their performance was about a man singing to the moon for his lost love, and the four dancers wore traditional outfits along with golden headdresses. The song and dance were slower than the previous ones but the movements were emphasized even more.
Next was KCONN, a K-pop dance group at UConn that covers songs and dances. For Asian Nite, they danced along with the song “Paint The Town” by LOONA with a traditional instrumental twist. Each member wore white, stylish clothes reminiscent of K-pop idols, along with tying their hair in pigtails or fun designs.
Three Greek life cultural organizations collaborated to tell the story of three freshmen who just joined UConn. These organizations were Kappa Phi Lambda, Lambda Phi Epsilon and Pi Delta Psi. Their brief performance showed these freshmen becoming acclimated with UConn and what they offer when it comes to Asian culture and representation.
The 14th performance was by Sanskriti Sadhana, the musical group from Sanskriti. Instead of dancing like their counterparts in Shakti, Sadhana was a performance by singers and musicians who focused on music from three languages. Their songs represented emotions such as peace and included instruments like drums and violins.
To end the night, ThundeRaas graced Jorgensen Center with their energetic presence. The group is “Connecticut’s premier Garba-Raas team with the fundamental purpose of spreading and celebrating Gujarati culture through the medium of dance,” according to the UConntact page. The group is also a regular performer at Asian Nite and concluded the event with fast-paced music, impressive footwork and props such as batons, hula hoops and glowing strings.