By Andrea Fernandes
Features Assignment Editor
Members of Asian Students in Action (ASIA) showed off their unique culture on Tuesday night in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.
The show was set up like the television show “So You think You Can Dance,” and each group competed against each other to move on to the next round of the show.
Catherine Brown, a sophomore journalism and mass communication major, explained how tough practice was and how everything fell together for the opening night.
“Practice was typically fun but always productive,” Brown said. “The day of the show was a bit hectic with everyone having to get their hair and makeup done but it was all worth it. I enjoyed performing.”
The groups performed a variety of traditional Indian dances. There was also a special appearance from members of the hip-hop team. After each performance, the group was critiqued by four judges. The judges added some humor to the show. Some of the criticism from the judges was harsh, and they argued and disagreed with each other similar to judges on most televised talent shows.
The show began with an opening dance from five members of ASIA. groups then performed belly dancing, Bhangra, Korean Pop and more.
There were also games played in between performances, some of which small prizes were awarded. The featured acts such as the performance from the SBU hip-hop team helped to make the show feel more like one of the talent shows on television
Deeanna Welling, a sophomore psychology major and member of ASIA was excited to display what she learned in ASIA this semester.
“This is my first time being in the ASIA show, and everyone welcomed me into the group with opened arms” Welling said. “I was able to learn about a different culture and try their delicious food which was exciting.”
The dances displayed allowed audience members to get a taste of the dances done in India. After the show, the audience was able to learn more about the Indian culture by using their tickets to enter the Loft, where Indian food was available for all to try.
“I loved that they had food after the show,” said Ashley Jordan, a sophomore education major. “It was nice to see dances from a different culture and it was nice to try their food, too.”
The show was wrapped up with a rival dance done by a few members of the group.
Everything was put together nicely. Those who attended were exposed to a wide array of dances, and were able to be immersed in the Indian culture with the food that followed.
