Belmont High School & Asian American Club: Asian Culture Night

March 29, 2003 On a rainy Saturday, ASIA and students from BLS were honored to attend this momentous event organized by the Asian American Club. How great or how stupendous the night had been was left to audience; though, after sitting through performance after performance- each outdoing the last- I wondered how great it was to be part of such a talented and imaginative culture. The Asian American Club, having five consecutive Asian Nights with hundreds of guests, garners credit and my applause. This year, friends told me, was going to be their best night; to say the least, I was a little jealous of their show. Our ASIA party came by front row seats, although I do have to apologize for our "behavior." Tickets were $5 in advance, $7 at the door, and it was indeed worth the money, not just for the show but for Asian American Club's charity event using that night's proceeds. A great night deserves a great assessment, so here it is:

Opening Night My colleagues and I were welcomed into BHS's spacious and comfy auditorium with ample time to chat and get comfortable. But as the lights above us dimmed, our attention was drawn to the five students giving introductions in different languages and dialects-- an appropriate foreword for parents and students alike. Our program guides informed us about upcoming performances; we used our cell-phones to illuminate the pages. As analogous to Boston Latin's Asian Night, AAC started their show with a multimedia presentation on the making of Asian Night, in which they expressed their goals and turned our faces bright red with nonsensical bloopers. Some parts of the show you took things seriously and just had to gaze in awe; others, you screamed, whistled, and shouted. And of course, for the MCs, I tried to hold my breath, but ended up bursting in laughter. The lions flew up and down passionately in the Gund Kwok Lion Dance, the country's only all Asian women's lion dance troupe. Boston Latin School did have an immense presence as demonstrated by Taha and all his lady friends in "Bole Chooriyan," a modern Indian dance performed by the BLS Desi society. We returned home to traditional Chinese dances, and we closed our eyes and listened conscientiously to Will Wei and Denise Lam's piano and violin duet. Coco Lee wasn't the only musical accompaniment during the show: Kpop's (Korean Pop Music) high energy added to Fashion Show using Lee Jung Hyun's "I <3 Natural" music and Baby v.o.x.'s "Get Up." After the show, my friend Derek and I had the honor to meet Michael Liu, who played the dulcimer solo, in the bathroom when he ate something that was allergic to him.

Special Thanks Special kudos go to May Luo, who persuaded all of us to go a long way's to Belmont High School's Asian Culture Night. And special thanks to the friendly staff and the performers who've obviously practiced immensely to make it possible for all to have a taste of Asian culture. Oh yes, don't worry Belmont about the Bubble Tea- even if it was advertised on the ticket- because your show was impressive and nothing short of remarkable. Good luck to you on next year's Asian Culture Night.

- James Zhang (Class of 2004)