A number of students gathered in the Cougar Dome for a diverse night of performances at the Asian Pacific American Student Organization’s (APASO) annual Expressions night on Friday, Nov. 20, more than 50 students .
This year’s theme, “The Struggle,” was inspired by the organization’s personal struggle after recent changes in its leadership.
“For us, our struggle was rebuilding and starting anew. It was us trying to make APASO a closer community, a closer group of believers [and] friends…able to unite together,” said APASO co-president Josson Chien
“Everyone has common struggles, whether it be social, spiritual [or] economic,” added Chien. “We believe that through those struggles we can connect to each other, come back and touch base with each other.
Though run by APASO, the event was also open to those with different backgrounds.
“Even though we are the Asian club on campus, color doesn’t have to separate us,” Chien said. “Through this time and these performances, we can sit down together and enjoy the performances and connect with each other on a more personal level.”
The Dome was decorated with calm colors, strings of white lights, five paintings and a hand-made table runner made by junior art major Sara DeMonteverde. Demonteverde made the table runner out of cloths gathered from different countries.
The artwork was an example of the personal struggles DeMonteverde went through in regards to discovering her racial identity and breaking down cultural boundaries.
“I based the emotions from the end times of [the book of] Revelations in the Bible,” DeMonteverde said. “The other painting reflects on multiculturalism here, growing up in L.A. and being Asian American and…Pacific Islander at the same time.”
The purpose of the event was to provide a a safe space for students to share about the wide range of struggles they go through.
“There are a lot of people who really want to express their struggle; I think there are a lot of different ways that we do that,” former APU student Nicholas Smith said. “But it is good to see that people aren’t just bottling that up, and that there is a place especially on campus where people can express themselves even in the struggle they are in.”
The night opened with prayer and blessing of the food. Students chose from a selection of chow mien, beef broccoli, orange chicken and white rice, catered by APU and Chinese Taste.
The evening continued with performances by both APU and non-APU students. The mood of the songs and poetry performed were serious, humorous and sad, touching on topics like the struggle of love, “Ring by Spring” and self-affirmation. Some students sang pieces they wrote themselves.
The Pacific Islander Organization (PIO) also made an appearance and performed a traditional dance. Each of the performances allowed for audience engagement and learning.
“This was a great experience and a great motivator,” sophomore mathematics major Ejiro Okotie said. “They had all flavors of talent from everywhere. Everyone wanted to be able to identify with one another and what they were going through. You can leave this talent show knowing you are not alone; you don’t have to beat yourself up over different things you are going through.
“But most of all, [you were able to] recognize people who are willing and waiting to love on you,” added Okotie. “But you have to be ready to step up and say, ‘Hey, this is what is going on’ and you’ll find there are some really nice people.”
APU’s fairly new Judo Club demonstrated a large hip throw, sweeping hip throw and a circle throw to teach the audience about self protection. The instructors emphasized the importance of thinking ahead of the opponent. The club also discussed the history of judo in their demonstration and invited students to join them every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in the Dome.
“We were glad to join this event,” President of the Judo Club Paul Yu said. “This was an opportunity for us to demonstrate our work, skills and get people to join. Judo isn’t necessarily about strength, it is more about skill. A smaller guy can beat up a bigger guy.”
The night ended with a final performance by APU’S hip-hop dance team, Variety For One (VFO). With the crowd amped and ready to join in the fun, the DJ put on the “Cupid Shuffle” and got the crowd singing and two-stepping.
The next APASO Expressions is in November 2016. Students interested in attending similar events can check out future Expressions nights that will be hosted by other ethnic organizations on campus.