Members of Ohio State’s Vietnamese Student Association rehearse a fan dance for the student organization’s upcoming Culture Show on Saturday. Credit: Rosel Burt | Lantern Reporter
Audiences can experience a night of student-led Vietnamese dances, songs, games and more at the Vietnamese Student Association’s 25th annual Culture Show.
The Vietnamese Student Association, also known as VSA, will present this year’s show at the Fawcett Event Center at 6 p.m. Saturday. Alex Chiu, a fourth-year in chemical engineering and VSA member, said the yearly event features Vietnamese-inspired music and dance performances. As a whole, the show aims to joyfully share Vietnamese art forms and encourage cultural interaction within Ohio State’s community, Mei Karns, a second-year in international studies and VSA member, said.
“It’s a cultural experience to witness because a lot of the dances are rooted in paying tribute to the Vietnamese people and their history,” Karns said.
Chiu said the show doubles as a fundraising event, as money and awareness alike are raised through audience ticket sales. Every year, he said all proceeds are donated to a different organization that aligns with the association’s philanthropy objectives.
“This year, it’s the Rock Paper Scissors Foundation,” Chiu said. “They use the money to provide books and school supplies to kids in need in Vietnam.”
At the time of publication, VSA hopes to raise at least $2,000 in donations; even so, Chiu said the number could be closer to $5,000 if there is a sell-out crowd.
Karns said club members’ dance performances will stylistically range from traditional fan to lotus to hat dances, as well as one modern dance routine. There will also be a fashion show component that spotlights the traditional Vietnamese national garment, called an “áo dài.”
Members of Ohio State’s Vietnamese Student Association rehearse a hat dance for the student organization’s upcoming Culture Show on Saturday. Credit: Rosel Burt | Lantern Reporter
Karns — who is leading this year’s hat dance performance — said her responsibilities have included choosing the song, choreographing the dance and teaching it to the dancers. She said the Vietnamese hat dance pays homage to the hats farmers have historically worn to shield themselves from the hot sun.
“Obviously the sun’s on you for the whole time, and so the hats protect them,” Karns said. “It’s a tribute to them in that way, that they grow most of the crops for everyone to sustain themselves. It’s just a beautiful tribute to hard work and providing for your family.”
Chiu, who is co-leading the boys’ fan dance, said the number integrates colored fans into its choreography to match the music’s rhythm. It focuses on crisp, synchronized moves between the dancers and their fans, he said.
“I’m excited for the audience to see fan dance in general, whether it be girls’ fan or boys’ fan because it’s just not something you have in Western cultures,” Chiu said. “In some Eastern cultures you have the traditional Chinese fan dance and the Korean fan dance, but the way we do it is there’s a modern take to it that you wouldn’t really expect from a fan dance, so I think that’s the most exciting part.”
Though Karns and Chiu are first-time dance leaders this year, they both participated as general dancers in the 2023 Culture Show, they said. Karns said leaders have been working since summer to conceptualize and create the dances, but began official group rehearsals in November 2023.
“This year, because of the different role that I have, my priorities are shifted into really hoping the dancers that I’ve been teaching take a lot away from this experience, but also just enjoy the fact that they get to perform for all of their friends and family and that they’ll be proud of the dance that they are able to show,” Karns said.
Karns and Chiu agree that while many months of hard work have gone into the dances, the best part is simply having a good time with other club members.
“Something I’m really excited about in the show is just to see the performers having fun with it,” Chiu said. “I think that’s a really big aspect, that you can realize all of your hard work is paying off and that you can enjoy your time on stage and have fun.”
Karns said the show will invite its audience to participate through games led by emcees. She said the ultimate goal is strengthening the sense of community between performers and attendees — whether they are Vietnamese or not.
“I just hope everyone gets the feeling of how much hard work was put into this, and also that you can just appreciate all the art that we’ve created,” Karns said.
Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased via the VSA’s Eventbrite page. More information about the show and the other dance leaders can be found on the VSA’s Instagram page.
