The beat of drums, the excitement of the street fair and the paper-måché lion heads of the Eugene Lion Dance team officially kicked off May’s nationwide Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
The opening ceremonies, held Wednesday at the University, took this year’s theme, “Take Your Shoes Off! Come into Our House and Learn about America!,” and featured a showcase of talent including a traditional Hawaiian hula dance, a Chinese fan dance, a Japanese folk dance, poetry reading and a duet of “Reflection,” the theme song from the hit Disney movie “Mulan.”
The common Asian American custom of shoe removal before entering a home is often misinterpreted, so co-adviser of the Asian Pacific American Student Union Joy Lum said the theme for the event was chosen as a way of welcoming students to the experience of being in America and learning about America as a melting pot.
“The purpose of our celebration is to bring awareness of Asian American heritage and culture to campus, the community and Eugene,” co-director Dawn Liu said.
Students watching the opening ceremonies said they enjoyed the presentation.
“The show was awesome,” freshman journalism major Ashley Keels said. “The parade came through the street faire, and my friends and I were just walking by. We stopped because it intrigued us.”
APASU members “are really excited about the cultures and want to share experiences with the whole university,” Lum said.
The APASU organization, in its 28th year on campus, will host a fashion show, auction and dance Saturday in the EMU Fir Room starting at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free but canned food donations are encouraged.
The runway event will feature more than 30 APASU models wearing authentic Asian costumes and cultural outfits. The scenes will present costumes from eras such as the Sung and Hmong dynasties through modern wear. APASU is expecting more than 200 people in attendance and everyone is welcome.
Coordinator of the fashion show, Jeanice Chieng, a sophomore sociology major, said this is the first time a fashion show has been part of the heritage month.
APASU member Amber Starks, a freshman general science major, said she is looking forward to being in the fashion show.
“I want people to see that there are different people on campus so they get a chance to learn about other cultures,” Starks said.
After the fashion show, a dance will be conducted featuring DJs Corleone, Hyper, R2 and Neebor of Demonic DJs.
Other events later in the month will include four workshops and a main event on May 20. ASAPU will present Alex Luu in “Three Lives” and Interlude, an Asian American vocal group from the San Francisco Bay Area. “Three Lives” is a collaboration of performance art and story telling that focuses on the Asian American experience. Interlude will combine R&B, pop and acapella to produce their unique sounds.
More information about the upcoming events is available at the ASAPU office located in Suite 29 of the EMU.