Lowell Hosts Southeast Asian Banquet

Lowell Dining Hall was transformed into a world of bountiful entrees, dance troupes, poetry, and cultural fashion this past Friday at the annual Southeast Asian Night celebration.

The event, which attracted an audience of different ages and ethnicities, combined humorous and poignant performance pieces to increase cultural awareness and activism in aid expeditions to Southeast Asian countries.

Jumping from the stage after a loud drum roar and zigzagging through a laughing audience, costumed students showcased a traditional Southeast Asian lion dance dating back one thousand years.

Mixing the modern into their performance, student groups such as the Harvard Philippine Dance Troupe performed a traditional dance with wooden rods to the tune of Black Eyed Peas’ “Let’s Get It Started.”

Zhipeng Sun ’08, who attended the festivities, said he was impressed by the great variety of dancing. “The Vietnamese Fan Dance was excellent because they seemed very polished,” Sun said.

Besides dance, the event featured a Cultural Fashion Extravaganza, showcasing a mix of traditional and modern Southeast Asian dress. Students sported everything from a Burmese princess’ dress to shorter, vibrant outfits designed by students from Wellesley.

The show, organized by several student groups, also intended to educate students on the need to aid children in Southeast Asia. In a dramatic performance piece, students symbolically stripped a boy of his home, clothing, and food as “Somewhere over the Rainbow” played in the background. The actors encouraged students to apply for the 2006 Aid Expedition to Southeast Asia through the Catalyst Foundation, an international volunteer organization dedicated to helping children in Vietnam.

In addition to encouraging volunteer work, co-host Susan Lieu ’07, the bubbly MC, said she felt that the event ultimately showed the strength and cohesiveness of the Southeast Asian community on Harvard’s campus.

“I was impressed by all the student groups that came together through passion instead of obligation,” said Lieu. “It was a time for minority groups from Asia to really shine because most people usually only think of Japan or China when considering Asia. Southeast Asian countries have a lot of spirit and love to offer the world.”

Her poetic piece “Oh Her? She’s so (Fill in the Blank)” also touched on the serious subject of ignorance of cultural hardship and the problem of Harvard students making flash judgments of others based on limited encounters.

Utpal N. Sandesara ’08, an audience member, praised Lieu’s performance. “The MCing was fun because it was laid back and the poetry was moving,” he said.

Sandesara said that the program’s technique of combining entertainment with a serious cultural message was a formula that worked.

“The acts were very well-balanced—some funny stuff and some poignant stuff,” he said.