6th Annual Banquet (2007) – Program

Banquet Program

Mistresses of Ceremonies

Michelle Yu (NY1 News) & Blossom Kan
Co-Authors, China Dolls: A Novel

Reception & Open Floor Dancing

Wine | Silent Auction Begins | Open-Floor Dancing

Greetings

Dr. Betty Lee Sung
Chairperson, Asian American / Asian Research Institute

Dr. Matthew Goldstein
Chancellor, The City University of New York

Dr. James Muyskens
President, Queens College, CUNY

Dr. Brian Schwartz
Chair, Thomas Tam Scholarship Committee

Mr. George Hu
Regional Representative, State of New York

Hon. John C. Liu
Member, New York City Council, District 20

Dinner Part 1

Entertainment

Dance Performance by Queens College Students

Award Ceremony Part 1

Presenter

Hon. Wellington Z. Chen
Member, CUNY Board of Trustees

Dr. Hiroko Karan
Vice Chair, Asian American / Asian Research Institute

Honorees

Dr. Selma Botman
Executive Vice Chancellor & University Provost,
The City University of New York

Hon. Ellen Young
Member, New York State Assembly, 22nd Assembly District

Mr. Rao Anomolu
President & CEO, ASR International Corp.

Dinner Part 2

Raffle Drawing

Entertainment

Taiko Drum Performance by New York Taiko Aiko Kai

Award Ceremony Part2

Presenters

Dr. Betty Lee Sung
Chairperson, Asian American / Asian Research Institute

Dr. James Muyskens
President, Queens College, CUNY

Honorees

Dr. K. York Chynn
Clinical Professor Emeritus of Radiology, Columbia University

Dr. W. Scott Morton & Dr. Charlton M. Lewis
K.Y. Chynn Book Award for Chinese Studies Recipients

Silent Auction Ends

Raffle Drawing

Open-Floor Dancing

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 Dinner Menu

Regular Table

Vegetarian Appetizer Platter
Crispy Vegetarian Tofu Wrapped Roll
Baby Shrimp with Mixed Green Vegetable
Braised Noodles with Mushrooms
Vegetarian Hot/Spicy and Sour Soup

Steak with Chinese Broccoli in Oyster Sauce
Pineapple and imitation Pork Fried Rice
Tasted Pork Chop in Garlic Sauce
Fresh Sea Bass Filets
Delicious Imperial Fried Rice
Fresh Fruit and Sweet Dessert

Vegetarian Table

Vegetarian Appetizer Trio Platter

Crispy Vegetarian Tofu Wrapped Roll

Imitation Shrimp with Mixed Green Vegetable

Vegetarian Hot/Spicy and Sour Soup

Diced Soy-Bean/Imitation Chicken with Cashew Nuts in Bird’s Nest

Sautee Twin Mushrooms

Delicious Soy-Bean/Imitation Steak with Chinese Broccoli

Curry Vegetables

Exotic Pineapple and Imitation Pork Fried Rice

Braised Noodles with Twin Mushrooms
Fresh Fruit & Sweet Dessert

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Entertainment

Dance Performance by Queens College Students
The dancers and choreographer for this performance are all students from Queens College. The soundtrack for both pieces was created by Eleanor Aversa, a graduate student in Composition at Queens College. The costumes  were designed in the cooperation from all participants in the dance.

Program:

Voices
Dancers: Alana Cermeli & Danuta Petrow-Sek
Choreographer: Danuta Petrow-Sek
Music: Eleanor Aversa 

This dance was inspired by Kate Chopin’s book The Awakening, entire work has 12 min. The story of a woman named Edna who lived in eighteenth century American society. Those times were known for their strict conventions and tightly defined roles for women. In The Awakening, Edna slowly discovers her desire for passion, art, and love. In my choreography the events take place in the present time, and the dancers are portraying themselves: their own desires for freedom, love, and passion in the ways they understand and feel these things. The dancers feel the awakening of desires, yet they are losing or missing something because of the fast pace of life. This piece was built during a few improvisation rehearsals and my observation of the dancers’ movement and behavior outside of the studio.

Rock, Skin
Dancer/Choreographer-Danuta Petrow-Sek
Music-Eleanor Aversa

Rock, Skin is an abstract creation, a dialog between solidity/permanence and flexibility/flux.

At the beginning of my solo I evoke a stream: a dynamic force representing the flow of life. The gentle sound of falling water primes the audience to experience the dance on a deeper, more emotional level. The sound scape, created for this dance by Eleanor Aversa, evolves using human throat sounds (breathing, coughing, etc.) and the most ancient of human instruments (drums and bells).

The grounding for Rock, Skin is a large cube, chosen for its symmetry and the way it provides a solid foundation for the more dreamy parts I dance on top of it. Covering the stage is a layer of fabric that is at once both changeable landscape and flexible skin.

Taiko Drum Performance by New York Taiko Aiko Kai
Taiko is the Japanese word for “great drum.”  This ancient musical art form originated centuries ago in Asia.  The resounding beat of the massive drums, ranging from one foot to six feet in diameter, can be heard over great distances and historically was used as a means of communication.  In shrines and temples throughout present-day Japan, Taiko can still be heard, although today its purpose is spiritual and celebratory, proclaiming the advent of temple and village festivals.

Program:

Miyake, Traditional piece from Miyake Island

Hiryu Sandan Gaeshi, Composed by Daihachi Oguchi