By Natalie Forster, Staff Writer
On Nov. 7, Asian Students in Action hosted their annual Diwali show in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.
People from different backgrounds gathered to celebrate life through the story of a classic Disney movie.
Based around The Jungle Book, the show focused on the traditional Asian dancing, such as bhangra and kathak, and welcomed SBU Hip Hop, SBU Step and Bboy for additional dances.
Diwali is an Indian festival of lights that celebrates the power of good over evil.
It is an occasion to bring together loved ones and commemorate love and life. And, on Tuesday, over 300 people of all ages and backgrounds came together to celebrate it.
The show opened with a video introducing the dancers, followed by a clip of the opening scene to the original The Jungle Book movie. They then continued on with people from the club acting out the story of Mowgli’s life with dance numbers woven in throughout.
Possibly the biggest stand out of the night was a cameo by Parker Suddeth, supervisor for ASIA and the director of Multicultural Student Affairs. When the black panther was said to come in, Parker came out as a member of the Black Panther Party. He only stayed for a few seconds, but the audience talked about it all night.
Every performance was exceptional, but the K-pop and Bollywood scenes were outstanding.
The audience felt they were watching a real k-pop group perform because of the precise choreography on stage.The step team’s movements mixed well with the show.
The team incorporated Disney’s “The Circle of Life” into its music selection.
The hip hop team showcased its abilities for the second time within a few weeks, dancing with such fire that made even its short performance memorable.
Bboy, the breakdancing team, also was incredible, starting with the simple image of a ballroom dance and quickly leading into difficult footwork and amazing floor movements.
The show ended after airing a video of the movie’s closing scene. Performers and audience members left for the McGinley-Carney Center for a reception with refreshments and Asian food, prepared by the other members who were not in the show.
