May Lee-Yang

By SAYMOUKDA VONGSAY
AAP staff writer

Hmong American, May Lee-Yang, has been a household name in the Minnesotan arts community for over a decade, known as a playwright, poet, prose writer, and performance artist.

Lee-Yang was born in Ban Vinai, a refugee camp in Thailand following the Secret War in Laos. Nine months after her birth, her family resettled in St. Paul, Minnesota where she lives to this day. Her work often explores the lives of Hmong women and living in a bicultural world.

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Celebrate Chinese New Year with a nasty dragon! (Southern Theater photo)

By Mary Tan
AAP Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s the year of the dragon, so what better way to showcase Chinese culture by taking your family to Tiger Lion Arts’ premier performance of The Dragons are Singing Tonight.

The performance is based on a series of poems about dragons written by United States Children’s Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky.  Composer Laurie MacGregor turned the poems into 16 songs, which feature a unique storyline about an ordinary boy, a magical girl and a very nasty dragon.

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Twin Cities Chinese Dance Theater

Led by Asian Media Access, and collaborating with East Culture Center, Pan Asian Arts Alliance and Twin Cities Chinese Dance Center, the Chinese Lantern Carnival, which is the closing ceremony for our Lunar New Year series, will be held on Feb. 5, from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Great Hall in Saint Paul downtown, 180 East Fifth Street, St. Paul, MN 55101.

At the Great Hall, there will be lantern making, lantern riddles, other children’s games as well as traditional Asian Lunar New Year food. Furthermore, Iny Asian Dance Theater and Twin Cities Chinese Dance Center’s youth dancers will be performing throughout the afternoon and evening. Games and performances will start at 2 p.m.

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Janaki Ranpura in Stories of the Crash.

Janaki Ranpura debuts Stories of the Crash at The Third Place Gallery, Saturday, Feb. 18. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the performance starting at 7 p.m., followed by discussion, ping pong and karaoke. Suggested Donation: $5 to $10.

“We are excited to have Janaki Ranpura debut her original work Stories of the Crash, a series of episodes about accidents,” said Wing Young Huie, curator.

A small city will be the stage for illustrations, illuminations, and projections about how we see ourselves in relation to the economic and political developments of our world. Janaki created this piece in response to time spent in October at the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City.

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Blues, Gospel, Reggae and Afro-pop will fill the Ordway’s Music Theater when the Playing for Change band brings its musical message of peace to Saint Paul on February 12, 7:30 p.m. at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington Street, St. Paul, MN 55102.

Playing for Change is part of the Ordway’s 2011-2012 Target World Music and Dance Series. Performance. Tickets start at $26, contact the Box Office at 651-224-4222 or visit ordway.org.

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AAP staff report

Approaching 40 years in the US, there are many Lao Americans who love science fiction, fantasy, horror, myths and legends.

Now several Lao American writers are looking your stories and art for the very first full-length anthology of Lao American speculative art and literature. Their goal is to publish it later this year.

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Mu Daiko taiko performers, Emma Valentine, left, Jennifer Weir, front, Jeffrey Ellsworth, back center, and Gregg Amundson, back right. (Mu Daiko photos)

By Mary Tan
AAP Staff Writer

An Expression of Japanese Culture

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Chinese Acrobatics – a daily act in Wuqiao, China. (Photo Courtesy: Wuqiao Acrobatic Troupe)

Led by Asian Media Access, collaborated with East Culture Center, Pan Asian Arts Alliance and Twin Cities Chinese Dance Center, a unique Chinese acrobatic performance – “Fenmo – The Beauty of the Acrobatics” was presented by the Wuqiao Acrobatic Team during the holiday season at Burnsville Performing Arts Center and the St. Paul Great Hall.

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Hmong Tiger Tales at the Walker (Photo by Charissa Uemura)

Walker Art Center’s January Free First Saturday Program is Fables & Fairytales.

The January 7 event includes a performance of Hmong Tiger Tales by Mu Performing Arts at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Walker Cinema. Gallery admission is free for everyone on the first Saturday of each month.

Families can enjoy live performances, films, gallery adventures, and hands-on art-making from 10 am–3 pm. Activities recommended for ages 6–12. Jumble your favorite bedtime tales and storybook adventures! These workshops, performances, art-making activities, and films are designed to expand your imagination and tickle your funny bone.

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Mu Performing Arts presents “A Very Asian Christmas”, written by Randy Reyes with music direction by Anita Ruth, on Sunday, Dec. 18, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Jasmine 26, located at 8 E. 26th St. Minneapolis, MN 55404.

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