Tomorrow, Asian festivities will be brought to the Thwing Ballroom, transforming it into an evening full of culture.
The Asian American Alliance (AAA) will be hosting their annual AAA Night open to all students from 6 to10 p.m.
With many student and off-campus groups performing, this year’s theme, “Stealing the Spotlight,” is very appropriate. “I can promise that it will be an unforgettable night!” said enthusiastic AAA member Nick Fung.
Fung joined AAA at Case after being very involved in his high school’s Asian American Culture Club. “Ever since, I have always gravitated towards this type of extracurricular,” he explained.
However, Fung doesn’t seem to be restricting his extracurricular involvement, as he is involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, even in college. Also a very active dance enthusiast, Fung will be performing with Urban Elementz, CBLAQ (Case Western’s K-Pop group) and the Freshman AAA dance group. Most forms of entertainment at AAA Night will be dancing performances, but according to Fung, “There are some rumors going around that Speakeasy may come and perform that night too.”‘
Other groups performing include the AAA’s executive board dance group and the Yin Tang dance group.
However, live dancing and singing are not all there is to look forward to at AAA Night. Freshman AAA Representative Annie Zheng is excited for all the activities but especially the food. “It is a formal event that has a wide variety of food, also for vegetarians,” said Zheng.
Catered by all local Asian restaurants, the food will be a highlight of the evening for any Asian cuisine lover. Also, all undergraduates at CWRU get in for just eight dollars, which makes it an affordable ‘dinner and a show’ type of night.
Nick Fung believes the entire night will be a bargain for what is included, and that the “delicious food only sweetens the deal.” For how active he is in so many dance groups though, he admits to being biased towards the performances being the best part.
Tickets can be purchased from the Case Western Reserve University ticketing website or at Nord. Ticket money will directly pay for the night’s activities and decorations, future AAA plans, and the group’s philanthropy.
Past events like Taste of Asia have proven to be very successful with the student body. “This year’s Taste of Asia had interactive games, a photo area, and a lot of food,” said Zheng.
Actually, it was last year’s Taste of Asia event that made Zheng want to join AAA when she arrived at CWRU this year. “It was a fun experience, culturally and socially,” she said.
There is a lot of anticipation for future events, too. “I’m most excited for their annual Iron Chef competition, where groups compete to create the best 5 course meal using specific unique ingredients,” said Fung.
Like the Iron Chef competition, there are many potential future events scheduled by the AAA’s executive board for later in the semester. All AAA events are very fun and educational, but nothing seems to top what they have planned for tomorrow evening.
“AAA Night is our biggest event of the year,” said Zheng.
Fung certainly agrees. “I am excited to show everyone what we’ve been working hard to perfect over the past month or so. It’ll be awesome, to say the least,” said Fung excitedly.
The event is a little different from other Thwing festivities because it calls for formal attire. It will be a great post-Valentine’s Day opportunity for students to get on their best clothes and get out of their dorms.
It is also a great chance to try something that not all students are familiar with. “I believe that CWRU students should also come to the event to help us celebrate cultural diversity here at CWRU,” said Fung.