Students across campus are still talking about the glow-in-the-dark break dancing, the spoof on “The Ring” and the short film in which two boys fight over the love of their life: Chris Han ’07. The hilarious, yet traditional performances in Asian Arts Talent Show 2007 not only captivated the audiences, but kept them laughing for days. The masters of ceremony, Eddie Kang ’07 and Jean Pak ’07, kept the show moving with their short skits in between each act. They pretended to be new students from the class of 2011 and talked to each other through an Internet chat room with the ridiculous names “Jeandeliciousgirl” and “Eddiefergilicousdelicious.” Indo-Pak performed a traditional Bhangra Dance that has its roots in Punjab. The five dancers, Abhishek Sripad ’07, Rajit Malhotra ’08, Arun Saigal ’09, Nikita Saxena ’10 and Zahra Bhaiwala ’10, were adorned in brightly colored vests and pants with flowing white tunics. The fast-paced dancing provided an energized atmosphere within Kemper auditorium and shed a new light on traditional Indian dance. Following this act, the Japanese 200 class acted out “A Mouse Wedding,” a traditional Japanese folktale. The characters spoke Japanese while subtitles played on the screen and were greeted by cheers and peals of laughter. Next, Olivia Pei ’07 and Chris Li ’07 graced the stage with their beautiful renditions of Chinese pop songs. The duet sang “Rooftop” by Jay Chou and Landy Wen and provided a touch of seriousness to the comedic show. Pei said, “For Chris and me, this was our last out of 12 cultural shows at Andover that we have performed in, so the moment right after we got off stage was full of sadness and nostalgia..” The following act, called Asian Freestyle, featured six performers break dancing to “Lonely Raver” by Allen Cai. However, there was a twist; it all happened in the dark. The dancers were visible because they each held two glow sticks that lit the stage with neon colors. This stunning performance was memorable for its bright lights and superb dancing. Two short videos were presented during the festival: “Ringu” and “Summer Sonata.” The Andover Japanese Connection filmed “Ringu,” a remake of the horror movie “The Ring.” It incorporated the typical Andover life into a well-known scary movie. Audience members remembered the character Samara’s terrifying performance in the original “The Ring,” but when they saw that she was played by Andrew Luy Tan ’07, all they could do was laugh. Ricky Chen ’09 said, “It was a blast. The movie was hilarious; I loved it.” The next film was “Summer Sonata,” a Korean drama sponsored by the Andover Korean Society. Chris Han ’07 played a girl sporting a long black wig and Zack An ’08 and Jon Lee ’07 played two boys fighting over this beautiful character. This comical performance was riddled with hilarious twists and was quite possibly the highlight of the night. A brief Asian Arts Fashion Show closely followed the action-packed talent show. The models wore traditional outfits and strutted to the well-known pop songs “Glamorous” by Fergie and “Sexy Back” by Justin Timberlake. The show’s advisor Aya Murata also walked down the catwalk with her children. Despite the length of the show, the 11 performances followed by a great fashion show set the bar high for next year’s Asian Arts Festival.
