Once everyone was filled with yaki soba, pad thai, sushi and other Asian delicacies, the festivities moved to Kemper Auditorium for the 2009 Asian Arts Festival. Acts ranged from a skillful Chinese yoyo performance to a traditional Filipino dance. The energy and cultural pride in the auditorium fueled the festivities and set the tone for the engaging show. Audience members entered to the sound of an elegant piano piece, followed by hosts Curie Kim ’09 and Peter Ly ’09 opening the festival. Kim and Ly filled the night with witty banter and references to typical Asian stereotypes. They were immediately followed by a traditional Filipino folk dance by Jennifer Schaffer ’10, who balanced a banga (clay pot) on her head for most of the routine. Next, Peiya Wu ’10 impressed the audience with a Chinese yoyo display accompanied by upbeat Chinese pop music. Her ability to masterfully jump rope with the yoyo, in addition to her other intricate choreography transcended her few mistakes and brought tremendous applause from the audience. Japanese 200 students performed a skit featuring a boy born out of a peach, who then embarked on a quest to defeat a group of dangerous oni (ogres) who liked to dance and drink Bud Light on Oni’s Island. As the festival continued, audience members enjoyed songs and dances from various Asian countries, including a movie by Andover Korean Society. The Korean Society film followed a girl through her complicated journey at an elite private school, where she is tormented by the four popular boys in the school (known as F4). She ultimately ends up dating one of them, however, after he rejects the girl his mother arranged him to marry, of course. Sky Yoo ’11, who played a member of F4 said, “We tried to make it into a comedy and it turned out really fun to make.” For people who didn’t have a good view of Sri. Mannagudi Easwaren at All-School Meeting, Asian Arts Festival was a great opportunity to see his drumming up close. Arun Saigal ’09, who helped to bring Easwaren to Andover, said, “He’s a great addition to the Andover community, and it was a pleasure to bring Indian culture to Boston.” The festival concluded with a fashion show featuring clothing from Korea, Japan, China, India, the Philippians, Thailand and Fiji. The colorful outfits, ranging from floor length blush pink gowns to Indian saris, stunned the audience, and the adorable faculty children in kimonos made everyone smile. Aya Murata, Advisor to Asian and Asian American Students and Asian Society’s Faculty Advisor, said the evening was a fabulous success through everyone’s teamwork, hustle and hard work. The board members’ diligent work helped the festival’s success to transcend the few technical malfunctions and freezes. At the evening’s conclusion, Asian Society Board member Jack You ’10 said, “I’m happy with how the show turned out; I hope everyone enjoyed it.”
