MILWAUKEE WI: Two days of unforgettable celebration, Asia Fest of Milwaukee, was held on Saturday July 11 and Sunday July 12 at the scenic and trendy Milwaukee’s lakefront, Veterans Park in Milwaukee, WI.
Wisconsin has a huge Asian population. Asia Fest of Milwaukee sought to celebrates the diverse cultures of Asia – from Bollywood to Beijing – so that the festival goers can experience the music, dance songs and food of diverse Asian population in the city. The attendance for this event was “House full”
The event, an Ocean Breeze Entertainment production, was coordinated by a team for Asia Fest of Milwaukee (AFOM) which comprised Rina Modak, Karmen Kron, Subhendu Modak, and John Kettler. Asia Fest of Milwaukee was a venue to enjoy a multi-cultural Asian experience along with an opportunity to interact with, learn and experience diverse Asian cultures, heritage and traditions through visual performance arts, cultural displays, demonstrations, educational materials, and interactive workshops.
Also included were vendors selling authentic mouth watering food from various countries and multi-ethnic merchandise representing those of Asian descent and others.
Asia Fest of Milwaukee is a collaborative effort by many organizations and communities. Cultures from 15 different Asian countries were represented by residents residing in states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Florida and Minnesota. The main goal was bringing together long time US residents with different Asian communities to educate and promote diverse Asian cultures and traditions.
The kick off featured Lion Dances, a Taiko Drummer, Middle Eastern Dances, Indian Drummers and Indian Bhangra Dance among other performances. Samantha Fairuz did an admirable job as Master of ceremony. Rina Modak introduced Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and presented him with bouquet of flowers, an Asia Fest of Milwaukee T shirt and other memorabilia.
In his brief remarks, the mayor said, “Welcome to City of Festivals and Milwaukee’s beautiful Lake front. I want to thank all the organizers for putting together this wonderful Asian festival.
The most prominent of Milwaukee’s streets that we have on the Southside is National Avenue. I have been tempted to rename this street to International Avenue because it reflects the true diversity we have in our city. We all come from different backgrounds and our community has strength from all its different cultures. The more we learn to understand different nationalities and different cultures the more peaceful our world will be and I am so grateful to have everyone here today because you are the future of our community”
The entertainment included traditional colorful dance, music, live bands and different performances from India, China, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Laos, South Korea, and many more. Artists representing diverse Asian countries performed and there were kids’ workshops, arts, crafts, a magic show and more. Highlights included world famous Bollywood Disco King Bappi Lahiri from India, renowned Filipino Band Klutch, Middle Eastern Belly dancers, Japanese Drum band, special fire performances by Brew City Fire Brigade among others.
Attractions consisted of Taiko Drummers, Illusion Show, Lion Dances, Puppet Show, Sri Lankan performance, Bharat Natyam Dances, Taiko Drummers, Fire Performer, Klutch performance, Shompreeti Rahman from Bangladesh, Clowns, Denai’s Dancers, Safar Dancers, Trisha Dancers, Desert wind Dancers, Nkauj Hmoob USA dancers, Hmong group performances, Okniwoko Tyco Drummer, Sitar by Ariba Khan & group, Bengali Group dance, Nepali Dance performance, South Korean Dance, Bangladeshi’s performance, Thai Fon Malai Dance, Punjabi Giddha & Bhangra, Thailand’s Sri Wichai Dance, Bharatnatyam, Taiwan Puppet show, Hmong Qeej performance, Martial Arts performance, Tamarind Dancers and Hawaiian Dances.
Shefali Vallecha did an excellent job as Master of ceremony for the Bappi Lahiri event and Indian Fashion Show .An admission fee of $10 was charged for adults and $5 for children. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to support Nepal Earthquake Relief fund, the ALS Association Wisconsin Chapter and other selected nonprofit organizations.
Asian Media USA
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