Asian American heritage celebrated with fashion show
By Tara Kathleen Kingà Ã
This month is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month and members of the Asian Pacific Student Union (APSU) are working hard to make their annual APSU Fashion Show and other events promoting APA culture successful.
The APA Heritage Steering Committee is a group of students and Santa Clara staff who are working to bring programs to the Santa Clara campus to enrich our community and celebrate the Asian Pacific American culture. Members have worked to create a month full of activities to promote and celebrate the Asian American culture.
APA already organized the Lion Dance Performance earlier this month. The Far East Dragon Lion Dance Association, a group made up of high school students, was brought in and performed the ritual dance in the free speech area at Benson Center. Dancers in costumes worked closely to create a huge dancing dragon.Ã The Lion Dance originated centuries ago in China. It is thought to bring good luck, prosperity and drive away evil forces. Ã
APA has also brought Amy Anderson, a Korean American comedian, to perform on-campus. Numerous discussion groups and music recitals from Asian American cultures have been presented as well. Golda Supanova, a Philipino singer, is performing in the recital hall on Wednesday, as Music at Noon celebrates Asian American culture. Ã Asian folktales will also be told on Wednesday in the Orradre Library.
"May is designed by the United States Congress as National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month," said Shirley Okumura, a placement coordinator at the Arrupe Center and a member of the APA Steering Committeel. "It is a time to recognize the contributions Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry have made to enrich the history and culture of this country."
The theme of the APSU Fashion Show on Saturday night is "AX Uncensored." Ã Participants include APSU members and members of other clubs, such as Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), Mecha-El Frente, and Chinese Student Association (CSA). Ã
In addition to the fashion show, the performance will include skits and dance routines. Ã The "AX Uncensored" Fashion Show will also include a tribute to the history of Asian Americans and the experiences they encountered since they first immigrated to the United States.
Victor Chen, the APSU representative for the APA Steering Committee, describes the show as helping "Asian-American designers to get involved . . . (by) showcasing their designs." A new club, Designer Circle, worked with APSU to design costumes for the show. Ã
Sophomore Rosalyn Ng is participating as a dancer for one of the numbers in the show.Ã In her role, she will portray an Asian American high school girl along with other dancers.Ã They hope the routine they perform will show people the cross-cultural similarities. Ng describes the routine as illustrating the fact that "we (Asian American girls) are just like any other teenage girl."
Over 60 people worked to bring "AX Uncensored" to Santa Clara students.
Watch the APSU Fashion Show Saturday from 7-9 p.m. in the Market Square of Benson Memorial Center. The tickets are $8 for those sold in advance, and $10 at the door.
û Contact Tara Kathleen King at tking1@scu.edu or (408) 554-4546.