On Friday, November 11, in Rangos Ballroom, the Taiwanese Student Association (TSA) put on a spectacular Culture Night with the help of fourteen other Asian-interest organizations, all of which also put on routines during the show with the exception of the Japanese Student Association. Abiding by the theme "Born Identity," some of the performances addressed the difficulties of creating a personal identity while retaining Asian cultural heritage and fitting into American society. However, there were many performances that simply highlighted the rich traditions of Asia.

TSA showed that they had put forth a lot of effort into their Culture Night not only by showcasing numerous other cultural organizations, but also by how well run the event itself was. The Culture Night moved extremely smoothly. There was barely a pause between any of the acts, and even when there was, the Master and Mistress of Ceremonies, MCS senior Michael Park and HSS junior Jenny Kim, nicely filled in gaps with lighthearted conversation and introductions.

Of the sixteen routines, onlythree directly spoke about Asian cultural heritage in the United States. Lambda Phi Epsilon gave a spoken word performance that tackled the issue of making an individual identity for oneself while standing up against racial prejudices, and also acted out a humorous skit with the Asian Students Association about integrating into society while maintaining cultural roots. TSA also submitted a comedy for their Culture Night, though theirs was a short film about staying proud about one's cultural heritage even when other people look down on it.

Two performances were particularly unique in the Culture Night. One was the Lion Dance, which was the first routine of the night. In an amusing skit, the lion, a colorful though believable creature brought to life by two members of the Pittsburgh Lion Dance Association, and the Buddha, denoted by a perpetually smiling plastic mask, played off of one another and danced about the stage. The second was a kung-fu demonstration by the Black Mountain Spirit Kung Fu Club. Although performers dashed across the stage doing complicated martial arts moves, the routine's centering music and fluid motions lulled the audience into a calm reverie.

There were also manydance performances, some traditional and some modern. The Korean Students Association, alpha Kappa Delta Psi, and the Asian Students Association all showed off their skills to a variety of hip-hop and pop music, from the Black Eyed Peas to the Korean group Se7en. Lambda Phi Epsilon and Kappa Phi Lambda borrowed the tradition of step dancing from Black Greek Organizations to demonstrate their own groups' unity. Barkada danced agilely in their Filipino Tinikling ("bamboo dance") number, which involved the dancers hopping in and out from between two long "bamboo shoots" on the floor that were being clapped together on the beats of the music. Both Kappa Phi Lambda and Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture performed beautiful Chinese fan dances, each group effortlessly transitioning between poses in synchronicity. Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture also put on a dance performance that grew out of traditions from the Yao minority of southern China; the program accurately described the dance as "innocent" and "youthful."

"Wasn't that so adorable?" Park asked the audience after the Dance of the Yao Girls. "They're like Santa's Little Helpers."

Similarly, there were also performances of both traditional and modern Asian music. The Hong Kong Students Association and Mezzanine played covers of songs by popular bands, namely Hong Kong's Beyond and China's FIR. Although these two acts ran back-to-back in the program, the music itself was different enough to keep the audience's attention. While the Hong Kong Students Association's piece involved an acoustic guitar and a three-part male harmony, Mezzanine's songs were led by a vibrant female vocalist and driven by an electric guitar. The Traditional Chinese Chamber Music group also performed a song by FIR, but one with only a piano, and then a piece by Michael Wong that featured the pianist and a vocalist in a lovely duet. Pi Delta Psi gave a percussive performance, with five brothers on drums keeping a complicated rhythm without the help of any sort of conductor.

Overall, the Culture Night was a huge success. Rangos was nearly full throughout the show, and all of the performances were of excellent quality.

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The Pittsburgh Lion Dance Association performs as the first act of TSA's Culture Night during Asian Heritage Month.	The Hong Kong Student Association performs "Cold Rain Night," a love song originally by the Hong Kong rock group Beyond.
Mezzanine's lead singer belts out a cover song of the band FIR.	A student of the Traditional Chinese Chamber Music group sings "TongHua" as a piano solo version.
"Under the Moonlight," performed by Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture (ARCC) at the Taiwanese Student Association's Culture Night, is a dance using traditional silk fans in a fushion of Chinese classical ballet and lyrical dance style.	Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture (ARCC) poses during the finale of "Under the Moonlight," a dance they performed for Asian Heritage Month and the Taiwanese Student Association's Culture Night.
Alpha Kappa Delta Phi "Lose Control" to the beats of the popular Korean group Se7en.	Keeping with the Culture Night's theme of "Born Identity," the Asian Students Association and Lambda Phi Epsilon perform a comedic skit about "Identity Struggle."
Lambda Phi Epsilon gives a step performance at TSA's Culture Night.

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