Asian Fest Preps to Livestream on YouTube
The C-pop Club practices their moves in a rented studio.
By FELIX GAO, CYNTHIA WU, and KENDRA CHIN
Asian Fest will be back this year, but with a pandemic year twist. For 2021, the show will be live-streamed so that students can see the festival at home during remote learning.
Since students are not allowed to meet in the Midwood auditorium like they did in previous years, Commissioners Ethan Chen ’22, Ivy Tran ’21, and Kirsten Shyu ’21 have decided to record, edit, and stream the performances on YouTube. The three commissioners are committed to keeping the show’s spirit intact.
“I was really thrilled with last year’s Asian Fest, and I didn’t want to let that annual tradition die down,” said Tran, “so I was really motivated to keep the Asian representation in our school alive.”
The debut was originally scheduled for February 26, but the date may be pushed back to March. The Bollywood, C-pop, and K-pop clubs have already begun practicing for their performances. There will also be South Asian, East Asian, and Central Asian fashion shows, as well as some solos.
“The YouTube premiere live stream will allow students to still react in real-time, allowing the same interaction as if they were watching the show in real life,” said Alice Huang ’22, the leader of visual arts.
Asian Fest is now fully up to the students, so they have unlimited creative freedom. “It will be entirely up to the clubs and performers where they would like to perform and record their videos,” Chen said.
The K-pop and C-pop clubs have already chosen their songs. K-pop is practicing “Dynamite” by BTS, “How You Like That” by Blackpink, “Gunshot” by KARD, “Psycho” by Red Velvet, and more. The C-pop club has chosen “Takeoff” and “Moonwalk” by WayV and many others. You can check their Instagrams -- @foreverk5 and @midwood_cpop -- for more. Both clubs have begun meeting up to practice at parks or dance studios and individually practicing at home as well.
On days when weather permits, clubs have been rehearsing outdoors. Photo: Ivy Tran
Asian Fest originally focused on cultural foods and the history behind them. The last of those gatherings occurred in 1999, but the festival was then brought back in 2018. The revival changed Asian Fest to a production that showcased music, dance, singing, and fashion.
Tran said, “I love Asian Fest because it allows us to spread Asian culture around the school, and the performances are so dope and well put together.”
Past Asian Fest performances were filled with energy. Reproducing that energy on the screen is a challenge performers are facing.
“We won't be able to bounce the excitement off of each other during practice and the show” the same as in previous years, said junior Trinity Low, leader of East Asian Fashion.
All in all, pulling the show off during the pandemic will be a considerable challenge. Filming in public spaces is often problematic due to unfavorable weather, lighting, capacity limitations, and disruptions from passersby.
The new commissioners have regular Zoom meetings with leaders to keep things running smoothly and on track.
“As one of the three commissioners, my role is to organize the different segments, work together with the team and club leaders, and create a schedule that spaces out all of what needs to be done before the show date,” said Chen.
Shyu is both a K-Pop performer and the commissioner in charge of putting together the act schedule, which helps to keep communication between commissioners and club leaders smooth. “Because I attended in-person rehearsals, I was able to directly speak with the leaders,” she added. “Supervising and managing Asian Fest was one experience, but dancing for the show was another.”
Some decisions are still subject to change; the performances could potentially be showcased through different social media platforms and video meetings. The fashion shows could take place through TikToks.
Despite the difficulties of this year, the editing team is hopeful.
“Obviously, this is a new experience for everyone, but I think that Asian Fest is going to be a lot of fun this year,” said junior Hayden Celentano, one of the editing leaders.
Kalin Yuen ’21, another lead editor, said, “I am very excited. I believe we'll be able to produce a good virtual production that many people will enjoy.”