By Kristy Volmert | Staff Writer
Vibrant, inspiring entertainment lit up Waco Hall from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday night as students showcased their talents through culture-rich performances. AsianFest featured a number of acts, from soft and heartwarming solos to cinematic instrumental pieces to fiery, upbeat group dances.
Dallas graduate student Michelle Zang opened up the show with a solo on the piano, followed by a Japanese traditional group dance and Shanxi Providence, China sophomore Sitong Yung, who sang a solo in Mandarin.
Yung is also a member of the Women’s Choir and service chair of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association.
“Before I came to Baylor, I wanted to try my best to express some Chinese culture by using music, especially since I’m kind of a music lover, and I love singing,” Yung said.
When Yung went to AsianFest last year, she envisioned herself up on stage — but it took some time to build up the confidence to get there, she said.
“I thought it was so awesome,” she said. “And I thought to myself, ‘If I have the chance, I should perform on that stage.'”
Yung sang a song called “Riding a White Horse.”
“I chose this song because it includes some kind of Chinese traditional opera elements … so I think it’s a nice way to let more people know about one of the styles of Chinese music,” she said. “I hope I can try my best to let more people know me and make more friends, and that was really part of my purpose to sign up for the performance.”
Lake Forest, Ill., junior Lauren Huebner said she is very glad she attended and got to cheer on her friends who were performing, including senior MiVi Nguyen, who sang a solo.
“It’s great to see so many people come together to celebrate their own cultures,” Huebner said. “It was neat to learn new things and see dances that originate from different cultures.”
She also said she thought the Ghibli Quintet, an instrumental group, was “phenomenal.”
“They did a great job recreating the piece, and it really felt like ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ was about to start playing,” she said.
Another act that Huebner and many others found enjoyable was the lion dance. For the seventh act, Vietnamese Student Association did the traditional lion dance, an upbeat, entertaining act including elaborate costumes, risky stunts and a talented group of drummers to set the scene. The act was roughly fifteen minutes in length.
“The lion dance is always a crowd favorite,” Huebner said. “Everyone really seems to enjoy it.”
Huebner also said she thought the group acts by Korean Dance Team and Baylor University Filipino Student Association were really cool.
“Their dances were honestly amazing, and it was exciting to watch them the whole way through,” she said.
There was even a dance group called “Amplify” that came down from Dallas to perform a dance to the song “Moonstruck.”
As an international student, Yung said she loves having opportunities to share her Chinese culture with her American friends, and that AsianFest was a great way for her do that.
“I think Asian Fest is a very nice choice for international students, especially the international students from Asia,” Yung said. “It’s a good chance for most Baylor students to get to know a totally different culture from America.”
Yung also said her experience living in Brooks Residential College has helped her find a great community of people, and that she would recommend that any international student coming to Baylor would consider living there.
