ASA Converge 2021: Stories Program

Duke Asian Students Association welcomes you to

Friday, March 5, 2021 7:00 PM EST

what is Converge?

Duke’s Asian communities are vast and multifaceted, but we are also segmented. As a whole, we have a hard time actually coming together to share our various cultures, experiences, and art around a central theme. Duke ASA wants to hold a space every spring for Duke’s Asian communities to converge, to celebrate what each of our identities mean to us as Asian/Americans, and this became what we now know as Converge.

This transition from our past Lunar New Year showcase to Converge came from years of hard discussions within our board as we challenged ASA as an organization to decenter East Asianness to make room for South and Southeast Asian communities, an issue that is seen in many collegiate Asian spaces. We created Converge to allow Asian students that don’t celebrate the holiday to have a space to show their talents, their culture, and be in community with each other.

why Stories?

We decided on the theme of “Stories’’ because this past year has been a complete turnover of what we could have possibly expected. During quarantine, we’ve shared social media stories with our friends, and through this showcase, we want to share with you the stories of members of Duke’s Asian communities. “Stories” is an embodiment of how we live our lives. From the stories we tell our friends to the stories we see on our social media, stories define how we experience and remember our lives.

We’re so excited for y’all to see our fashion show and eight wonderful dance, singing, and musical groups!

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Introducing our third annual fashion show where community members strut their stuff in their culture’s traditional clothing! Traditional clothing varies by region, and there are many more types of clothing that could be featured, but here are the clothes that our models chose to share with you all! china_dennahuang

DH

The qipao is a traditional Chinese dress usually worn during formal occasions like weddings, parties, and beauty pageants. My qipao is from the Jiang Nan region of China, and wearing it makes me feel connected to my extended family!

india_brindaraghavendra

BR

I’m wearing a half-saree, a South Indian dress that’s traditionally worn by teenage girls. It’s made up of the blouse, the paavadai (skirt), and the dhavani (draped cloth). This general style is popular across South Asia, but this traditional halfsaree is more specific to South India - I bought this one in Tamil Nadu. It’s not usually worn as daily wear, and I often wear it when I go to the temple on special occasions, or at other religious functions. Wearing a half-saree has always been special to me; my transition from young traditional clothes to the half-saree almost felt like a rite of passage for me (and it sometimes is in India!), and I’m sure that my transition from the half-saree to a full saree will feel the same!

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japan_miryamrudolph

MR

The traditional clothing we are wearing is known as a Yukata (浴衣), and the decorative sash around the waist is called an obi (帯).

Yukatas are worn by many during the summer for regional festivals or celebrations and come in a variety of patterns, designs, and colors that reflect both traditional and modern influence.

japan_leahokamura

LO

As children of Japanese immigrants, wearing a Yukata reminds us of the rich history that is woven within our own unique identities and the desire to preserve the traditions of our heritage.

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JC

Hanbok is a Korean traditional dress usually worn on national holidays such as the Lunar New Year and Chuseok, an autumn celebration. korea_eunacho

EC

Wearing Hanbok reminds us of our heritage and memories of celebrating the holidays with our family and friends.

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malaysia_shaniakhoo

SK

I’m wearing a nyonya kebaya, an embroidered blouse, and a batik sarong, an intricately decorated, rectangular piece of fabric that I tied around my waist.

The kebaya and sarong emerged in Southeast Asia around the 1500s and many variations can be found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The particular combination that I’m wearing is traditionally worn by women of Peranakan heritage in Singapore, Sumatra, Penang, and Malacca. As someone who didn’t learn much about Malaysia and my heritage growing up, wearing a nyonya kebaya and batik sarong reminds me that I carry my family’s histories with me, even thousands of miles away from Malaysia.

taiwan_nataliechen

NC

In Taiwan, there are many different ethnic and indigenous groups, one of the biggest being Amis (阿美族 A-Mei). These people live in the mountains along the coast, where life is difficult. Their lives consist of plenty of farming and fishing, and they reserve their better clothes for special events.

During the annual harvest, the A-Mei people wear decorative clothing, such as the 阿美族服飾 we wore, to thank the gods for the good harvest and reap the rewards of their labor.

taiwan_valeriestsao

VT

The headdress and ropes are rich in color, bells vibrant in sound. Wearing the intricate outfit, the young people also meet each other to find potential partners. Surrounded by family and friends, they all sing and dance together to celebrate their efforts during this joyous occasion.

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pureun Our set is a montage of pieces from the recent decade originally performed by SHINee, Miss A, BoA, EXO, Blackpink, and BTS. These Korean idol acts, popularized through the internet and social media, are significant in helping many of today’s Asian American youth find a semblance of media representation. While K-pop has had an overall ambiguous effect on Asian representation in the West, the genre has felt empowering for many of the performers as a way to see other Asian faces dancing and singing – something the Western music industry is sorely lacking.

PERFORMERS: Cynthia France, Mathew Mammen, Natalie Chen, Lydia Wang, Dianne Kim, Nikki Delmolino, Ziyi Yan, Trey De Leon, Edna Zhang, Mary Jiang, Shawin Vitsupakorn, Jason Tran, Alex Oesterling, Sua Cho, Tanvi Santhosh, Sara Min, Jerry Hou, Karen Chen, Grant Kim, Xinyu Xu, Annie Zhang

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courtneyandmichelledantzler ‘Di Na Muli is about loss, growing up, and the passage of time.

How back in the day, how sweet our life was, full of color and happiness, innocence. That will never happen again.

When you let time flow on its own, you will feel it until tomorrow, and you won’t be able to go back. The past is in the past, the moment is over, we can only look back.

The stories of our lives, through family photos of us growing up, in the Philippines, in the U.S., our story as sisters. The stories of our heritage, our cuisine. Lumpia, Turon, a banana snack, and Chicken Adobo, our favorite dish from home.

Our performance is a cover of a popular modern Filipino song, ‘Di Na Muli. The entire piece is about 4 minutes long, and will be accompanied by a video about daily life and our experiences with Filipino culture. ‘Di Na Muli was performed by the Filipino rock band The Itchyworms was written by band member Jazz Nicolas after the death of his parents. At its core, ‘Di Na Muli is a song about loss and the passage of time. It reminds us to show our thanks to our friends and family and tell them how much they are loved while they are still around.

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dukechinesedancetraditional The Legend of Chang’e: Our dance focuses on the iconic character of Chang’e and her journey from mortal to goddess of the moon. Inspired by traditional Chinese dance, this piece documents Chang’e’s emotions during her journey - her loneliness, her longing for her husband, and the beauty of her inner strength and endurance. Her legend serves as a basis for the Mid Autumn Festival, popularly celebrated in Chinese and other East and Southeast Asian communities around the world. The festival celebrates familial love, reunion, and thankfulness. Our dance community is currently spread across the world - through learning this piece, we also celebrate the strength of our community and our desire to meet again.

PERFORMERS: Alice Zhou, Amy Zhao, Anne He, Demi Wang, Helen Xu, Lydia Lin, Michelle Dantzler Michelle Zhang, Robert Chen CHOREOGRAPHERS: Alice Zhou, Demi Wang, Michelle Dantzler

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sangeet Pahadi Thillana tells a story of the meditation of Lord Shiva on the mountain Kailasa. It describes the snowcapped mountains and rushing springs that surround him, while also paying tribute to Lord Shiva as he holds Ganga, the consort of Gauri. It is a devotional, rhythmic piece that offers a connection to Hindi spirituality. In a cultural context, the piece is in the Carnatic style but performed by all Indian-American musicians. It symbolizes a form of connection between the Indian diaspora to ancient Indian classical arts. In Pahadi Thillana, Duke Sangeet is proud to feature Carnatic vocalists, violin, flute, mridangam, and ghatam. We hope you enjoy this piece as both a spiritual and cultural journey.

PERFORMERS: Brinda Raghavendra, Tejas Srinivasan, Yasha Kulkarni, Saisahana Subburaj, Kashyap Sreeram, Gaurav Sirdeshmukh, Samyuktha Sreeram

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asian/americanmedley Converge: Medleys is a mashup performance of eight transformative songs by Asian/ American artists. Spanning themes of Asian/American identity, love, and empowerment, our performance is a tribute to the power of Asian representation and musical storytelling in America. We hope that viewers will connect with our diverse selection of songs and the stories behind them.

Songs included in this performance (in order of appearance): “Your Best American Girl” by Mitski, “I Can Only Write My Name” by Will Jay, “Like You Do” by Joji, “Drive Safe” by Rich Brian, “Love Affair” by UMI, “Headaches” by Raveena, “Drunk” by Keshi, and “La La Lost You” by Niki PERFORMERS: Anna He, Irene Qiao, Jia Jia Shen, Lucy Zheng ARRANGEMENT: Irene Qiao

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dukechinesedancecontemporary “Sacrifice” is a contemporary piece highlighting the sacrifices that our parents and ancestors have often had to make in overseas migration and how sacrifice often manifests as a way they express their love. We aim to showcase our collective and individual relationships with these generations that have come before us and how we may best show our appreciation. Through a narrative of sacrifice, struggle, love, and gratitude, we hope to acknowledge the difficult and sometimes painful journeys our parents and ancestors have undertaken for us.

PERFORMERS: Sarah Lu, Amy Zhao, Anna He, Anna Xu, Alice Zhou, Jin Cho, Karen Chen, Cynthia Dong, Michelle Dantzler CHOREOGRAPHERS: Sarah Lu, Amy Zhao

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temptasians As an a cappella group, Duke Temptasians is a convergence of individuals from various cultures and backgrounds, coming together to celebrate and share a passion for Asian music. Our set this year echoes stories of love, friendship, and self-acceptance, with covers of Eight by IU (prod. & feat. Suga) and Your Name Engraved Herein by Crowd Lu. Through our a cappella interpretations of these two songs, we hope to demonstrate how people can create something greater than the sum of its parts, and inspire listeners to reflect on the stories and relationships in their own lives.

PERFORMERS: Andrew Zheng, Angela Yoon, Caleb Chiang, Cassie Xin, Eric Tay, Harry Liang, Irene Qiao, James Leong, Jenny Wu, Nathan Cho, Sean Park, Stacy Chen.

Your Name Engraved Herein Soloists: Jenny Wu, Harry Liang. Arranged by Jenny Wu. Eight Soloists: Cassie Xin, Sean Park. Arranged by Angela Yoon.

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definingmovement Our set this year is a story of generational differences, growth, and self-discovery.

Reflecting on the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan two years ago and the resurgence of the BLM movement this past summer, DefMo wants to express how the ideals and values that many Asian Americans come to define for themselves often contradict those held by their parents. Through our set, we celebrate how Asian American children can embrace tradition while forming their own unique, personal decisions and beliefs.

PERFORMERS: Akylah Cox, Michael Xie, Ashley DiMarco, Mitchell Fleszar-Friedman, Izzy Bank, Angelo Guo, Olivia Reneau, Tessa Grabowski, Amr Bedawi, Catherine Livingston, Linus Li, Rahel Petros, Tess Foote, Nicole Park, Rishi Salwi, Florence Wang, Niam Kothari, Staci Grimes, Gus Milhizer, Vinitha Sunkara, Neha Rodricks, Kevin McLeer, Imani Hall

special thanks to ASA Exec + Outreach Team: Exec: Elizabeth Lee, Shania Khoo, David Lee, Denna Huang, Rachita Gowdu, Afreen Ashraf, Rena Zhong, Jamie Lim, Krishna Patel, Richard Zhai Outreach Team: Amber Park, Deney Li, Michelle Huang, Paul Wang, Ruby Wang, Amanda Cai, Michelle Kwan, Ishika Gupta, Joe Choo, Mia Tseng Thompson, Adri DeLorenzo, Celine Wei ASA Events Chairs: Rena Zhong + Jamie Lim Tonight’s MC’s: Amber Park + Deney Li Video + Editing: Elizabeth Lee Graphics: Shania Khoo + Elizabeth Lee + Denna Huang Sound: Richard Zhai + David Lee UCAE, CEF, SOFC Elmer Orellana Performers: Pureun, Michelle + Courtney Dantzler, Duke Chinese Dance, Asian/American Medley, Sangeet, Temptasians, Defining Movement Fashion Show: China: Denna Huang Korea: Euna Cho and Joe Choo, men’s outfit provided by Siyun Lee Japan: Miryam Rudolph and Leah Okamura Taiwan: Natalie Chen and Valerie Tsao India: Brinda Raghavendra Malaysia: Shania Khoo And all of our viewers <3

ASA Converge: Stories 2021 Post-Showcase Survey: