By, Rick Beitman
Two down, one more to go. – Asia Regional Night, the second of the trimester, took place at the Thunderbird Event Center (TEC) on Saturday, November 8, at 6:30 PM, to much fanfare. Billed as one of the more popular regional nights, cuisine offerings and musical numbers spanned from Southeast Asia to the Indian Subcontinent.
Master of Ceremonies, Savijeet Singh, MBA student from India, introduced an eclectic assortment of twelve acts. The variety included Asian musical performances, pop dance routines, Japanese martial arts, a 20-minute Indian dance repertoire, and a Chinese, traditional lion dance.
According to Rafael Salamanca, MBA student from Colombia, the event was successful with over 500 people in attendance. Of the event, Salamanca said, “[There were] some of the best performances that I’ve ever seen, which showcased the T-Bird spirit and the hard work of all the organizers. It was very good. I really liked it.” Salamanca also noted that the food must have been good, as attendees appeared to be quite full.
MBA student Marissa Burkett of Fernandina Beach, Florida, also gave accolades for the performances and the culinary offerings; “I thought the night was amazing, as was the food. I liked the variety of music from traditional to modern. – It was nice to see the progress and expansion [in the styling].”
While Asia Regional Night was very well received, a lot of work went into making it a successful production. Of the organization, Nicolas del Granado, MBA student from Bolivia, stated, “It was a [well-run] show and set of performances. [There was] good quality, energy, and organization. [Asia Night] is the regional night with the most clubs and is the most challenging to organize. Both the clubs and TSG did a wonderful job.”
Among attendees were a substantial group of alumni who gathered over the weekend for an informal reunion. Laura Boberg of New York, New York, MBA 2004, felt nostalgic at returning to a regional night event. Boberg said, “I appreciate every moment being back and the Asia Regional Night has been fantastic. – I will always and forever cherish my time at Thunderbird.”
For alumni, the memories continued at a social gathering at the “Old” Thunderbird Pub next to the TEC following the Asia Regional Night. – Current T-Birds still have one regional night to go before December graduation with the third installment, the Americas, coming on Saturday, November 22. Like the alumni who came before, T-Birds should relish every dish, every dance, and every moment.
