CalVSA Culture Show – A Celebration of Our Heritage

Guest Blogger: Amy Pham is a math teacher in Fremont.  She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Political Science and earned a Masters in Education Administrative Services from Santa Clara University. She was an avid member of Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) at UC Berkeley and taught English for a summer in Hue, Viet Nam.

“Tim Ve Chon Cu” and “Tinh Bao La”  – The themes of UC Berkeley VSA’s 2004 and 2005 culture shows still sing to me to this day.

Even as a junior and senior in College, I was still having a tough time adjusting to Berkeley culture.  I was constantly homesick from the sunny southern California weather, beautiful warm beaches, and my mom’s home cooked food.  I thought by dedicating myself to something as meaningful and as big of a product as culture show, it would take my mind off my homesickness.

However, it did just the opposite.  I became more homesick, but this time I was homesick to find my roots, to understand my parents, and to know more about my culture.  Just by asking my parents to simply clarify the themes of “Tim Ve Chon Cu” and “Tinh Bao La” to me, it opened the flood gates to endless stories, pictures, and memories from my parents.  All of which I could have  missed out on had we not had a discussion about UC Berkeley VSA’s culture shows.

Several years removed from college, I still feel like I have a deeper connection with my parents, their culture, and the culture.  I still have conversations with my parents where I can tease my dad for reciting French poetry to my mom.  I still feel nostalgic every time I see a white Ao Dai.  “Cai luong” still makes me cringe, but I am happy that I know and understand what it is.  I truly feel blessed to have been part of culture show and hope this 30-year tradition will remain at UC Berkeley and other college campuses.   It is a fulfilling opportunity for generations of Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans to come, even just for a few hours, to celebrate the past, present, and future of our culture.

On that note, I’d like to introduce to you UC Berkeley VSA’s 2010 culture show, entitled “Our Life After” or “Song Gio Cuoc Doi.”

The spectacle that is UC Berkeley VSA’s 31st annual Culture Show is happening on April 17th, 2010 at 5pm in Zellerbach Theatre on the Berkeley campus!

The Vietnamese Student Association at the University of California, Berkeley strives to reflect the diverse, vibrant, and dynamic Vietnamese population on campus. Cal VSA’s annual Culture Show is one such way through which this goal is achieved. Since the establishment of Cal VSA in 1978, the annual VSA Culture Show has brought together students to produce a theatrical production of music, art, dance, drama and prose. The annual VSA Culture Show is best known for this integration of creative disciplines.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, a momentous event in Vietnamese history that triggered a subsequent decades-long refugee movement of Vietnamese diaspora. These past 35 years contain unforgettable stories filled with struggle and pain but also hope, perseverance, and strength as well.

In this year’s Culture Show, the Vietnamese Student Association at the University of California, Berkeley wishes to pay tribute to these 35 years of Vietnamese refugee history. This year’s storyline showcases the experiences of three families following the Vietnam War and in so doing, explores the unique issues each one has to deal with. These issues encompass identity, generation gaps, assimilation, culture, and survival. Ultimately, all three interconnected stories speak to an idea of universality of experience. Though each of these families has gone through different struggles, they are all united in this common journey that is the Vietnamese refugee experience. It is this experience that Cal VSA wishes to recognize and honor in this year’s Culture Show.

However, one does not have to be of Vietnamese descent in order to relate to these experiences. The writers of this year’s show firmly believe that any individual who has gone through an immigrant or refugee experience can definitely connect to the themes of this year’s Culture Show. Hence we invite all who are interested to take part in the journey that is this year’s show.

If you would like to contribute to the show and support UC Berkeley VSA, please visit our Sponsorship Page at here.  Thank you in advance for your contributions!

Check out this year’s awesome trailer and videos from previous culture shows:

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TICKETS
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$12 Pre-Sale

(available until morning of show day on April 17th)

$15 At The Door
(acceptable forms of payment are cash or check)

$20 Reserved Seating
(available for purchase until April 15th at 11:59pm)

*** Group Discount
Buy Any 10 Tickets Together, Get One FREE!
(free ticket may not be a reserved ticket unless all ten purchased tickets are reserved tickets)

>>> How to Purchase // Reserved Seating // Will Call <<<

Tickets are being sold by cast members, cabinet officers, and online. Reserved seating and will call are also available for your convenience. For more detailed information on how to purchase tickets, reserved seating, and/or will call, please visit our online Tickets Page at http://www.ourlifeafter.com/tickets.

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DIRECTIONS
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For information on how to get to Zellerbach Theatre or where to park once you are in Berkeley, please visit our website at http://www.ourlifeafter.com/directions-parking.

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OTHER INFO
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For full and detailed information on this year’s show as well as other goodies like cast photos and videos, please visit our official website at http://www.ourlifeafter.com. Please also be sure to Fan Us on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/calvsacs.

For any other questions or comments, please email us at info@ourlifeafter.com.

See all of your beautiful selves on show day!!!