Pageant unites traditions

The beauty of the Asian culture shone Friday night as eight couples, representing different nations and traditions, took the stage during the Mr. and Ms. Asia Pageant. There were no fake smiles or world peace talks, but rather a show of unity combined with a celebration of diversity.\nWhile all the contestants worked together to achieve the pageant's overall goal of promoting the different Asian cultural traditions, one couple shone above the rest. Senior Kensaku Kimura and junior Nao Kimura of the Japanese Student Association were crowned Mr. and Ms. Asia 2003 following four rounds of impressing the judges. \n"We're so happy; we worked so hard and so long for this," Nao Kimura said.\nJunior Joven Park and senior Hye-Rhee Claire Chung of the Korean Student Association took home the award for the best talent performance for their crowd pleasing Michael Jackson rendition. The crowd also had a chance to pick their favorite, voting seniors Raymond Gunawan and Yuliana Wijaya as Mr. and Ms. Popularity. \nAngel Lai, John Park and Chris Chan, all members of the Asian Student Union, said they hoped to bring IU students and the Bloomington community together to celebrate the identity and diversity of the Asian culture. \nPark, a senior and co-chairman of the ASU, said the night was not about displaying the talents of one person but rather sharing the beauty of the entire Asian culture. \n"The big picture is diversity," Park said. "So many people associate all Asians together and miss the differences between the groups of the Asian community. Tonight we are having fun while celebrating those differences, and we hope to educate each other as well."\nPark also emphasized the importance of having the pageant at Buskirk-Chumley Theatre free of charge in order to attract the entire Bloomington community.\nThe night was organized into four main events, which included a demonstration of the traditional attire of the various nations, a catwalk show and a question and answer session designed to inform the audience about the different Asian cultures.\nThe talent event brought the audience members to their feet in support. The couples showed their stuff through dancing, singing, rapping and acting. Freshman Chayoot Sirawongprasert and senior Piyamas Gomolvilas of the Thai Student Association gave a powerful portrayal of past and present Thai music. Gomolvilas danced Thai style while wearing traditional attire and Chayoot followed, singing a modern Thai song accompanied by the guitar. Senior Tuan Nguyen and junior Ha Cam Ngo of the Vietnamese Student Association also gave a culturally educating performance. They presented a comedic skit in which they talked about the difficulties of growing up while being different from other children. \nContestants were judged on their stage presence, sophistication and overall presentation. To ensure fairness in the judging, the panel consisted of six judges from diverse backgrounds, including Christopher Viers, dean of international students, and Oyibo Afoaku, director of the Neal-Marshall Education Center. \nJudge Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa, said she was excited to be a part of the night. \n"This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the members of the Asian community," Casillas said. "I am honored to be invited"