Frickin' small world, I'm telling you.
First, one of the musicians tech'ing, with the group The Fourth Stream, after almost an hour of being in the space, asks, "Hey, do you know Zehra Fazal?" I say yes, adding a "I thought you looked familiar" afterward.
Turns out we met at a birthday dinner for one of the most self-actualized working artists I know, and I've had the pleasure of working with in various capacities (you should check out her website).
Later I see Megan, whom I had just grabbed lunch with a week or so ago, who has recently taken on the position of Communications with Sulu DC.
Then, halfway through the set of the closing performers, SNRG, my kuya Ricky greets me with a fistbump in one hand, while is filming with the other.
I've known this guy as long as I've been live, via my cousin Kat's side of the fam.
Anyway, that's the AAPI community for you.
And it's been fun, with two events down as Sulu DC's resident stage manager, with my trusty sidekick, Eamonn, ASM'ing for the evening again.
Performances were as diverse in disciplines as the audience was in heritage, as usual, which is the pretty neat thing. I hear artists and art forms that I might not normally be exposed to, due to my own predispositions, as well as limited resources temporally and financially.
And they include active local artists. The Fourth Stream, mentioned earlier, actually has another performance which the Pink Line Project has listed, coming up this Friday at Bloombars.
They also included out-of-the-area artists, like the amazing Jennifer Cendaña Armas, who bussed in from NYC.
Other artists included Poet José Padua (check out his blog) and one of Sulu DC's founders, Alex Cena, who not only is a coordinator at Asian American Lead, but also had a posse of youth he mentors and teaches, performing some pieces with him.
MC'ing the evening was another of Sulu DC's founders, Brian Wang, and bringing the whole evening together on the 1's & 2's was the Pinstriped Rebel. I'm sorry, but someone who can bridge the variety of artforms and heritage, mixing in everything from cultural classics to Filipino funk/rap...let's just say that she's pretty awesome.
Definitely check out the Event Calendar, and see if there's an evening you'd consider checking out. Just come with open mind and heart, and whether you're of the AAPI community, or affiliated with it in some other way, I promise you will not be disappointed.
- J Street Jr
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