A big thanks to everyone who came out to Hyphen's sixth anniversary party on Friday night at Club Six. We had a great crowd, great music, great fashion show and great cake.
I recently checked out Texas-born writer/performer Lan Tran's one-woman comedy SMART ASS, which concluded its five-day run as part of Pan Asian Repertory's NEWWorks 09 program.
Here's my synopsis: Girl discovers yoga. Girl learns to listen to her body. Girl applies yoga to dating. Girl is on quest for a man but is hopelessly dysfunctional because of pesky "daddy issues". Girl dates a couple of duds. Girl finds a decent one and decides to hang onto him. The End.
While I was initially impressed with Tran's ability to deliver her lines effortlessly during a variety of yoga poses (downward dog, go 'head), it was quickly downhill from there.
The most notable aspect of this otherwise flat show was the first scene, in which Tran re-enacts a happy hour conversation with a sassy Latina friend. After discussing which qualities women of color possess that make them irresistible to the opposite sex (Latinas are curvy! Black men like big butts!), Tran poses the question: If Asian women have small boobs and asses, then what makes us attractive?
The Glitz. The Glamour. The terrible outfits of JC Chasez. America's Best Dance Crew, Season 3 is Quest Crew. Congrats, fellas. But after three iterations of the hit show, I think America's Best Dance Crew is a bit of a misnomer.
Another Friday night is here and, if you like music, there's no need to weigh your options. Put this in your Hyphenite's social calender now, because LOCUS is here!
Co-presenting with the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, LOCUS returns with the 2nd Annual Do-It-Yourself Music Video Premiere Night. Not quite sure what that means? Well, not long ago LOCUS played matchmaker with APA filmmakers and musicians and, after pairing them with one another, challenged each group to make a music video in two months with little to no budget. Not only could you be among the first to view the results this Friday, you will also get to see the musicians perform live! This is an event that would do Wrigley's Doublemint gum slogan proud, because it would be double the pleasure and double the fun.
So don't miss it! You can view last year's videos and vote for your favorite video from this year's batch at the CAAM website. The video with the most votes will win a spot in the coming San Francisco International Asian American Festival! Event info follows, and you can also visit our calender posting or the LOCUS website for more details.
Friday, February 20 8-11 pm (doors open at 7pm) Root Division 3175 17th Street @ S. Van Ness Admission: $10 suggested donation All ages.
National Asian American Theater Company Presents First Non-Asian Play with All Asian American Cast
Here's one for all the Hyphen readers in New York City. The National Asian American Theater Company presents Leah's Train, a play about "three generations of women from a Jewish family," according to a blurb in the New York Times arts section. It's the first time the theater group, which has been around since 1989, will perform a non-Asian play with an all Asian American cast. Sounds interesting. I wonder how the nuances of Jewish culture will play out with this cast; I have a hard time imagining a non-Asian American group communicating the subtleties and struggles of an Asian American piece, but I suppose that's the challenge of being a good actor. Check it out if you're in town.
Leah's Train co-stars Jennifer Ikeda, who was recently seen on Broadway in Top Girls with Marisa Tomei and Martha Plimpton. The play runs between February 6 through 28 at at TBG Theater at 312 West 36th St in New York.
'Post-Racial' Theater for a new Post-Racial America?
So, I'm a bit pooped from all the Asian-spotting at the inauguration today -- from Maya Soetoro-Ng to aide Eugene Kang (okay, that pic is from awhile ago, but I did see Eugene a lot on TV today!) to Michelle Obama's ballgown designed by Jason Wu -- it seems we were in full-effect. What happens to Asian-spotting in a post-racial America?
Another New York event for those of you spending the holidaze in the city.
Sulu Series, the monthly showcase of Asian American performance artists, is holding another event this coming Sunday. December's featured artists are: global roots band Brown Rice Family, NuYorican Poets Cafe slam finalist Kilusan1898, and emcee Heesun Lee, who incorporates personal experiences as an adoptee into her music.
The show will also include films by Corinne Manabat, Adele Pham's multiracial narrative Parallel Adele, and Hip Hop Mestizaje by Mark Villegas. It's going down at the infamous Bowery Poetry Club, and they always have drink specials. A Sunday well spent.
Sunday, December 21 9:00pm to midnight $8 general public / $5 students Bowery Poetry Club -- 308 Bowery (between Houston and Bleecker) New York, NY 10012
Back to the Homeland: Refugee Nation and Legacies of War
Heads up for Back to the Homeland, an engaging (and free!) community event in Seattle next Tuesday. Special guests Refugee Nation will preview a theater project based on the oral histories of Laotian refugees and their descendants. Student performances, spoken word, and a film screening will also be featured.
Legacies of War, one of the sponsoring organizations, does incredible work using art, community organizing and dialogue to raise awareness about the history of bombings in Laos. They provide a space to heal the wounds of war and advocate for the removal of unexploded bombs. From 1964 to 1973, Laos was the most heavily bombed country in the world, with the United States dropping over two million tons. Check out Legacies' online journal for a compelling account of their recent trip to meet with Laotian villagers affected by cluster bombs and build partnerships with NGOs and government.
Theatre Rice, a modern Asian American theatre company on the campus of Berkeley, has chosen Hyphen as the recipient of its charity fund! We attended the showcase last night to say a few words of thanks, and if you are in for a great laugh (and occasional warm and fuzzy feelings), you can still see the show tonight! The last performance this semester will be in 155 Dwinelle. Doors open at 7 pm and whatever you can give, $3 or more, Hyphen will be getting part of the proceeds to help us with 2009's printing and distribution costs. Go to their Facebook event for more information.
A big thanks to everyone who came out to Hyphen's sixth anniversary party on Friday night at Club Six. We had a great crowd, great music, great fashion show and great cake.
Another New York event for those of you spending the holidaze in the city.
Heads up for Back to the Homeland, an engaging (and free!) community event in Seattle next Tuesday. Special guests Refugee Nation will preview a theater project based on the oral histories of Laotian refugees and their descendants. Student performances, spoken word, and a film screening will also be featured.
My buddy Danny Katz informed me about this upcoming show in NYC. Danny and his fellow Sensitive Guys with Guitars -- Jay Legaspi, WonderMarq, John Violago and John-Flor Sisante -- will be presenting a night of "pure sensitivity and magic," with all proceeds benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Gearing Up Internet Literacy and Access for Students. The latter provides Internet connectivity to public schools in the Philippines.
