Auraria receives 'Passport to Asia'
UCD's Asian Student Alliance presented its Pan-Asian culture night
Joe Nguyen, editor
April 16, 2007

Photo by Joe Nguyen The Ntxhais Tiam Tshiab and Ntxhais Hmoob Tshiab groups perform a Hmong dance at the Asian Student Alliance culture night March 30 at the Auraria campus.

DENVER – The Asian Student Alliance at the University of Colorado at Denver transported a night of Pan-Asian culture March 30 to St. Cajetan’s on the Auraria campus.

More than 200 people packed the church to witness performances from a variety of Asian cultures at the club’s event titled, “Passport to Asia.” More than a dozen acts, from martial artists to Indian dancers, highlighted the show.

“We don’t really see too much live entertainment anymore,” said Duane Brown, the assistant director of student life at UCD. “So it’s good to have some students from the campus and some people from the community come out and support a cultural event.”

Sean Oottamakorn, a member of the Denver Thai Lions Club’s Thai Harmony, was one of the night's many performers. The troupe played classical Thai music with traditional instruments such as the ranat ek, a wooden xylophone. The members’ experience ranged from three to seven years.

“We originally learned from teachers who came from Thailand,” he said. “They stayed for a year and taught lessons every week. We just kind of formed our own group outside the temple.”

Fourteen-year-old Dulguun Tumurbat captured the attention of the audience with her contortion act. Among her feats was holding up the weight of her body with just her mouth.

“I think the contortionist was pretty impressive,” Brown said. “You don’t see that too much these days.”

Other acts included acrobatic martial artistry from Team Highflyerz and an Asian-themed fashion show featuring members of ASA.

Joe Nguyen is the editor in chief for AsiaXpress.com. You can contact Joe via e-mail at Joe@asiaxpress.com.