To be an emcee for Cultural Vogue 2007 is an honor for Lemuel Goopio — as a graduating senior, he said this will complete his college career.
The Asian Pacific American Student Organization, or APASO, sets up the biennial event with the help of some Asian-based campus groups. The show will debut at 7 p.m. Friday at the Auditorium and will present modern and cultural dances, monologues, poetry and songs, and is free for MSU students.
"The show is a great way to represent our culture," said Goopio, a food service management senior and member of the organization. "The dances show our Asian background, but also reflect that we are Americans. … We have the best of both worlds."
Asians are highly under-represented in the media, political arenas and the public eye in general, Goopio said.
Co-coordinator Mimi Yao has been working on the show since the beginning of the school year with co-coordinator Phil Chang.
"I'm stressed now; things have really picked up in the last month or so. … But when it's over I won't have anything to do," Yao said.
The students do all the work in terms of reserving the venue, advertising, organizing the show and planning out the choreography for the dances, said Meghan Yamanishi, the interim coordinator for APASO.
"(The students) really put their hearts and souls into this," Yamanishi said. "Groups have been up rehearsing until midnight."
Goopio hopes all the hard work and late-night practices will pay off Friday. He wants to see a large audience, especially since APASO members have worked hard contacting other Midwest universities to publicize the show.
"This will be one of the largest pan-Asian shows in the Midwest," Goopio said. "This will really put MSU on the map."
Coordinators are hoping for an audience of at least 1,500, Yao said.
She added that two years ago the audience completely filled the main floor of the Auditorium.
When the show first became a biennial tradition in the early 1990s, the performance was held at Erickson Hall Kiva.
"Now we perform in the Auditorium. That really shows the growth and progression we've made as a group," Goopio said.
The show may be a tradition, but every year it has a different theme. This year's theme is transcendence.
"We're trying to give the feeling that we transcended from the past to arrive where we are today," Yao said.
"And we hope to keep transcending and have a better future for tomorrow."
The dances, songs and readings will reflect the past, present and future, she said.
Goopio said the event helps bring students together from across campus.
"It can be intimidating being at a large university like MSU. Being involved with the show makes the college seem like a smaller place," Goopio said.
"Being involved also breaks the monotony of classes and everyday life."
