China Night, a variety show consisting of music, fashion, and dance, was tied together by a series of skits focusing on the Tiananmen Square massacre. The skits were taken from a play created, written, and directed by RPI students Mike Shyu, Peter Zhang, and Margaret Tang.
The performance was set in communist China during the year 1989. A mysterious childhood meeting turned into love as the main characters, played by Yvonne Wu and Paul Trieu, were reunited in college. Through various scenes, the audience was shown the culture of day-to-day life in China at Beijing University, a traditional one-child household, a farmer’s market, and a Chinese restaurant.
At the peak of the two lovers’ romance, the play transitioned to "American Night" at Beijing University.
"American Night" began with a performance by the Taiwanese Student Association. George Tsai and Eddie Lin opened with a funky Taiwanese pop song. Dancers Jenny and Sijin joined the pair for a more traditional ballad telling the plight of a poor Chinese youth who had to perform in bars to make money.
The next scene was a bone-crunching Kung Fu demonstration led by Krzysztof Kryszczuk and a fellow student. Their act concluded with live-action sparring lined with many painful assaults and throws to the ground.
The main portion of Beijing University’s "American Night" consisted of an American fashion show set to a mix of Asian and American music. The members of CASA modeled, danced, and acted in various themed skits while showing off clothing ranging from black and white formalwear to snowboarding apparel. The swimwear portion gave rise to much audience applause as athletic male and female models stripped down to the bare minimum in a sexy and confident manner. The fashion show concluded with a rave segment, filled with many talented dancers performing elaborate stunts using their glow sticks.
The end of Beijing University’s "American Night" brought the focus back to 1989 where the students of the university were growing upset with the Chinese government. The theme switches from love to war as student leaders gathered and planned a protest at Tiananmen Square. The couple was tragically torn apart as history played its course.
China Night concluded with a moving pictorial tribute to the Tiananmen Square massacre while the CASA performers, dressed in black apparel, bowed their head in mourning.
China Night was a thoughtful mix of Chinese and American culture that embodied the very essence of CASA.
