The University Center’s Rosebud Theatre was transformed into a colorful display of culture Monday evening during One Night in Asia, bringing various traditions from food to song and dance performances.
Hosted by the Intercultural Student Engagement Center as part of its Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrations, the annual event saw individuals and student organizations take the stage, with some donning cultural attire.
Aysia Nguyễn, Intercultural Student Engagement Center student development and outreach coordinator, said the event’s goal is to celebrate and teach Mavericks about AAPI culture, bringing awareness to it and giving attendees a good time.
“As an AAPI first-gen myself, it’s always been really important for me when I was in school and now as a professional, to bring exposure to students from my community, but also bring in students from different communities to be a part of that,” Nguyễn said.
Students arriving at the theater were greeted by a diverse platter of meal options from Prince Lebanese Grill, ranging from falafel to burma baklava. Signage at the entrance showcased prominent Asian figures in activism, music and science.
The crowd held their breath when the first performers, a duo from the Nepalese Student Association, took the stage for their traditional dance. The pair wore the clothing of the Magar, one of Nepal’s largest ethnic groups, according to Britannica.
Eyes across the auditorium were drawn in as their red and blue dresses flowed in synchronization with their dances.
Sparsha Acharya, Nepalese Student Association president, performed with event manager Isuna Bhusal. Acharya said they wanted to showcase their culture and religion and found the event a good outlet to do so. Practicing for the performance brought them closer.
“I love dancing and I love showing my culture,” Bhusal said. “So to make friends through the culture and dance is like an experience that connects both things that I like.”
Following a few individual performances, several members of the Indian Mavericks Society dance team took the stage. It highlighted different states in India, representing all the Indian languages spoken at UTA.
The crowd erupted in cheers as dancers transitioned with the music through each individual state.
Yash Ajariwal, Indian Mavericks Society president, said performing at One Night in Asia was a great opportunity to represent Indian culture on a diverse platform while collaborating with other Asian communities on campus. During their performance, he said he felt a mix of excitement and pride seeing the community engaged and enjoying their performance.
Multiple Asian organizations took to the stage and performed throughout the night. Between performances, attendees participated in raffle giveaways and trivia games.
Anthony Danh, vice president for the Korean Culture Association and the Thai, Lao & Cambodian Association, said while he wasn’t participating in the performances, he attended the event with his clubs to show support and celebrate Asian culture.
Danh said sharing his Lao culture felt liberating, especially since it isn’t expressed as much on campus.
“It’s really beneficial to students, not only just to come out and socialize and see what’s on campus, but to also learn more about the cultures and how they’re presented on campus,” he said.
The Korean Culture Association was the last organization in the spotlight. KCA Elite, one of the organization’s dancing groups, made the crowd roar after finishing their performance with multiple solo dance segments.
KCA Elite member Rhythm Butler said it’s always fun to be on stage with friends, and while their performance took a lot of practice and days spent drilling in the hot sun, it was worth it in the end.
“You get to exist in a different world when you get to perform,” Butler said. “It’s just so nice to put on a show, especially with other people that you work so hard with.”
@PMalkomes @samip.parajuli.54
