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Sangai Asia Night

Bates at Night goes backstage at a show embracing the cultures of Asia

By Bates College

February 9^th, 2018

At 7:50PM on a saturday...

A dressing room door swings open, revealing students in traditional attire tossing makeup to one another as they apply the final touches. Awaiting them is a packed Schaeffer Theatre. It's Sangai Asia Night.

‘IT’S ABOUT CELEBRATING ASIAN CULTURE AND SPREADING AWARENESS’

Ivy Nguyen ’21 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is dressed in a traditional Vietnamese dress called an “ao dai.” She'll take part in a fashion show that’s part of Sangai Asia Night.

“I really love the whole show,” she says. “It makes me feel like Asian culture is getting closer and more accepted by the Bates community.”

‘It reminds us that our differences makes us unique and special’

Sharing a laugh as they get ready for a Bollywood dance performance are Fahim Khan ’20 of Dhaka, Bangladesh; Tyler Simmons ’21, of Greene, Maine; Armaan Mecca ’21 of Chennai, India; and Tawab Safi ’21 of Lahore, Pakistan.

“Sangai Asia is a platform through which we can represent our culture and identity,” says Safi. “It reminds us that our differences makes us unique and special. I represented the Afghan culture by wearing those clothes.”