Modern styles mix with tradition at Japan Nite

With the doors at Alumni Arena set to open for Spring Fest, the doors of the Student Union Theater opened to the rhythms of Japanese culture Saturday as Japanese SA held its second annual Japan Nite.

The performance was divided into several different sketches, all of which were related to the show's central storyline about a Japanese princess and her bodyguard's trip from the past into the modern day.

Shintaro Yamazaki, president of Japanese SA, said Saturday's cultural event was a sequel to last year's inaugural Japan Nite.

Especially with the buzz generated by Spring Fest, Yamazaki said he was happy with the turnout.

"We sold over 250 tickets," said Yamazaki, a junior business major. "Even better, it was a diverse audience."

A number of student and local groups contributed to the show, including UB Kendo and the Buffalo Nihongo Club, a weekend group that educates children of Japanese descent about their culture.

"Without any one person working on the project, this wouldn't have been possible," Yamazaki said. "You can't see them on the stage, but they are hardest workers."

To the delight of many in the audience, performers took the stage by storm with a mix of traditional Japanese dances and more modern styles, such as break-dancing. In addition to the action on stage, the event also used visual Flash computer graphics to help showcase different aspects of Japanese culture.

Planning for the show began as early as November.

"We would work on the weekend for hours straight, and even get some done between classes," Yamazaki said.

Many of the people who were in the diverse audience said they took away something positive from watching the cultural show.

Will Falzone, a sophomore chemistry major, said he was impressed with the event's energetic atmosphere.

"The break-dancing, to put it simply, was awesome," Falzone said.

Midori Minami, a graduate student in anthropology, said the show's graphic and visual elements were a particularly good way to present Japanese culture.

"When we international students have to speak in class, we often use overhead projectors or videos," Minami said. "Using the graphics today was a good idea for American people to understand."

"It wasn't what I expected in advance, but I wasn't disappointed," said Herb Forrester, a local electrician. Forrester said he came to the show after a friend told him it was a "karate-fighting" event, but he still enjoyed the artistic performance.

"It was well performed and made me aware of a whole new culture," Forrester said.