A celebration of all walks of life
A small part of Logan was transformed over the weekend into a very large part of the world at the first annual Tip-Toe into Asia Banquet.
The event was held at the ballroom in the Taggart Student Center and was a joint production of the Asian American Student Council with the Polynesian Student Union, the Native American Student Council, the Hispanic Student Union and many other student groups.
Proceeds from the event were given to the university to go toward USU’s goal of $100,000 for relief aid to the countries in Southeast Asia suffering in the aftermath of the tsunami.
More than 100 tickets were sold for the event.
The banquet was the final event in Asian American Week, during which the AASC had several other events, including selling Chinese and Korean calligraphy, to collect money for the tsunami fund.
Money was not the only thing that organizers were looking to raise. They also wanted to raise cultural awareness about other countries.
“I think [the event] is something that brings people together and educates them and helps them become more diversified,” Valerie Singer, a sophomore majoring in elementary education and a member of the NASC, said.
“I think every culture is beautiful in it’s own way,” she said.
Many participants at the event felt that when most Americans think of Asia they only think of one or two countries. One of their goals with the banquet was to address this issue.
“I think it’s important for people to realize that there’s more to Asia than just China and Japan. There’s also Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Korea, Thailand and many other countries,” said Omer Khan, a senior majoring in economics who represented his native Pakistan in the evening’s events. “This is a great way to show the real image of Asia.”
To give visitors a taste of that image the evening began with Asian food including curry, a favorite among the attendees.
After dinner a fashion show was put on to present the traditional clothing of various Asian nations. Represented were Japan, Thailand, China, Malaysian, Cambodia and others.
Lisa Tran, the AASC sectary and a sophomore studying biology, wore a blue ao dai from Vietnam.
“It’s worn mostly to weddings and other formal occasions,” she explained.
After the fashion show students from all over the world preformed various talents and traditional dances.
Starting off the performances was Mami Matsumoto, a student studying music therapy and 2004’s Ms. International Pageant winner. Matsumo played the song “Aka Tonbo” on her violin and sang in Japanese while wearing a traditional Japanese kimono.
After providing the guitar for Khan to sing “Old Jeans and Guitar,” a Pakistani song about the youth of today, Abinash Bhattachan, a junior from Nepal studying watershed science, played and sang “Nepali” a popular song in his homeland.
“It’s about how where ever you take me or whatever you do to me I will still be Napali. It’s a patriotic song,” Bhattachan said while introducing the song.
To add more diversity to the evening and spread the word of their powwow coming up on March 3 and 4, the NASC presented a traditional Hopi and Navajo gourd dance.
“The gourd dance is a harvest dance that the tribes would do together. It symbolizes a lot of different things including rain, thunder and giving to the four directions,” Singer explained. “My grandmother taught me the dance and I taught it to [the performer] to pass on the tradition.”
Members of PSU were on hand to perform a tradition Hawaiian dance and to invite everyone to its annual luau to be held next month on the 26.
USU students weren’t the only ones to get the chance to perform. A group of 10 students from Logan High School came to perform a Cambodian coconut dance. The dancers each carried two hollowed coconuts, which they would clap together or on the ground in rhythm to the music as they danced.
The event served to educate people on more than just the cultures represented but also the clubs attending as well.
“A lot of people think that to be a member of Asian American Student Council or the Hispanic Student Union or any of these groups you have to be a member of that race but anyone who has a love for the culture can join,” one of the event emcees, Mitcheal Cooksey Jr., a junior majoring in aerospace engineering, said.
Afterward, organizers and those in attendance all felt the event was a success.
“I thought is was wonderful. We had a lot of groups get together to attend and participate,” Juan Franco, USU vice president for student services, said. “We had a lot of diversity tonight and I’m very pleased.”
-steveshinney@cc.usu.edu
Members of USU´s Middle Eastern Dance Club twist their hands while performing at the Asian Banquet Friday night. (Photo by Michael Sharp)
Omer Khan Belts Out “Old Jeans and Guitar,” a song from his country of Pakistan, while Abinash Bhattachan, from Nepal, backs him up on the guitar. They presented along with many other students in the performance section of the Asian Banquet Friday. (Photo by Michael Sharp)
Mami Matsumoto, the current Ms. International, sings a Japanese song “Aka Tonbo.” (Photo by Michael Sharp)