Asian Pacific American Heritage Week starts with a bang - and a pop concert

Asian Pacific American Heritage Week got off to a lively start this weekend with Saturday night's KAI Kickoff Concert. A popular Asian-American vocal group, KAI performed for roughly an hour in front of an enthusiastic crowd of about 300. "We hope to bring you an atmosphere that will stimulate dialogue... and reflection on the Asian Pacific American experience," APAHW co-chairman and College junior Walter Kim said about the week. The concert was the first in a series of events scheduled for APAHW, an annual celebration of Asian Pacific American culture and heritage put on by the Asian Pacific Student Coalition. With their peppy pop music, vibrant stage presence and snappy dance routines, the light-hearted group was definitely a little Backstreet Boys-esque. But the crowd ate it up. "I really liked the a cappella," College freshman Zhiying Tang said. "They sounded really professional." After a welcome, introductions and a few games, Saturday's show began with a brief performance by a group of eight break dancers from Penn, Drexel and the Philadelphia area. Shortly after the dancers, KAI took the stage and met with screams and applause from the excited crowd. The five-member group, originally from San Francisco, is one of the first all-Asian-American vocal acts to get signed by a major record label and to make it onto the Billboard charts. KAI performed 12 songs in total and began its show with a prayer that they sung a cappella. Throughout the concert, the group alternated its performance style, singing a cappella numbers, performing coordinated dance routines to recorded music and providing live acoustic guitar accompaniment. Following the show, the audience members had a chance to meet the group members at a table in the lobby where KAI signed autographs and talked with fans. Engineering senior Hai Ton, who is also co-chairing the week, said he felt that Saturday's event was a success. "I was very happy with it," he said. "[Saturday] night was a surprise." In particular the large turnout impressed Ton, who explained that the event earned about $2,000 more than was projected. APSC is sponsoring the week's events. The umbrella organization recently added two new groups to its membership -- the Bangladesh Students Association and Sangam, a South Asian political organization. Several other events are lined up for the remainder of APAHW, which lasts until November 4. Throughout the week there will be a variety of activities, including a multicultural display on Locust Walk, a movie screening and a candlelight vigil on College Green. The week's highlight events will be the address given by keynote speaker Angela Oh -- a known political activist and advocate for Asian Americans -- on Wednesday and the Vis-aVis Fashion Show on Friday. The overall purpose of the week, Ton explained, is "to be able share our heritage and culture with the community."

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