Queensborough Community College will celebrate its 14th annual Multi-Asian Ethnic Stage Performance event Friday at 7 p.m. in the QCC Theater. The event, precursing National Asian History Month in May, is an opportunity for community members to join in th
“Our goal is to preserve our cultures for newer generations and promote Asian culture to our non-Asian community members,” said Florence Wu Tse, QCC director of Asian affairs. “This is open to both the college and community, which makes it so special.”
The popular Kung-Fu group Sticky Rice Inc., which includes Queensborough Community College students, will return to the QCC stage along with two new performance groups — a Taiwanese Aborigine dance by the Chinese Cultural Association of Long Island & Chinese School, and the Huntington Chinese Cultural Association. The St. Patrick’s Church dance group of Long Island City will perform Philippine folk dances and songs.
Manhattan’s TAIKO Asian drum group performance, Chinese folk dances by the Yana Ballet School, Indian folk dances by Abha Bhatnagar Roy and her dance group, and Korean Folk Dances by Korean Ensemble round out the evening’s festivities.
Co-sponsored by the Asian Heritage Month Committee, the Asian Society, Flushing Savings Bank and the Korean American Culture & Heritage Association of Greater New York, the program took root as the local community became increasingly interested in the diversity of Asian cultures, Tse added.
“It started as a workshop of performances and then there were requests to continue and grow. Many of the groups are internationally known,” Tse said. “At one performance, people were sitting in the aisles, and afterwards people came on stage to tell me how good this is for the community.”
Queensborough Community College has celebrated Asian cultural awareness since the designation of National Asian History Month 14 years ago. Previous events on campus included acupuncture workshops, an arts and crafts demonstration, an ethnic food festival, and Feng Shui workshops. An Asian cultural festival will be held April 9 on campus.
For more information regarding upcoming events, visit the College’s Web site at www.qcc.cuny.edu or call 718-281-5410. Queensborough Community College is located at 56th Avenue and Springfield Boulevard in Bayside.
