The Penn The Student Voice Since 1927 Vol.84, No.9 Indiana, PA 9.25.98 "Theatrical performance shares" cultural identity" By Nate Boguszewski Penn Contributing Writer			Actor Dan Kwong expresses his Asian American identity.

The presentation "A Slice of Rice, Frijoles and Greens: Beyond Cultural Borders" featured three separate and unique artists each with a story about their cultural differences.

The Great Leap organization also helped sponsor the show. Great Leap is a non-profit Asian American performing arts group founded in 1978 by Nobuko Miyamoto. Their goals, like those of the cultural center, are to promote multi-cultural awareness.

Dan Kwong, the first of the three performers, began the show imitating a baby. His head showed from behind a puppet of the baby with his hands controlling the arms and movements of the puppet. He spoke as if he were being interviewed about the toils of being an Asian American infant.

His mastery of his art allowed him to deliver many cutting lines behind a humorous veil. He went so far as to make comments like "yeah, I'll be forced to suffer the sociocultural burdens as an Asian American male."

It was the humor in the lines he delivered that made them easier to accept as not just a simple angry outlash.

The second part of his act was of his teen years and how he spent most of them stoned.

Initially funny, he worked the stoned aspect to describe the treatment his grandfather received upon his first years in America.

Kwong described how his grandfather was pelted by rocks on his way to work, stoned by ignorant Americans.

His mood swung back and forth from angry to frivolous. His comedy came in the form of his mockery of a Chinese man trying to speak English and of Chinese adjustment to American culture. It was a form of comedy that could have been quite risky and possibly self-insulting, but it was tactfully managed with exceptional skill by Kwong.

Paulina Sahagun is a Latina who successfully portrayed the trials of her assimilations into American culture in a lighter form of comedy. Appearing second, she came out brightly dressed and wild with energy. Switching between the English and Spanish languages and accents throughout her performance, she told the story of her battle to identify herself.

Sahagun's performance was comical and filled with tortilla references. Dough was used as a prop.

She described the making of a tortilla as a skill expected of any true Mexican woman but showed how she was unable to prepare one. She played the parts of a Mexican man who confronted her on this and herself as she fumbled in an attempt to make a tortilla.

Her actions explained the stereotypes men have of women from any culture.

The last performer, Chic Street Man, came on stage with only a guitar. His performance was the most basic and genuine. He spent no time speaking of his culture and his trials as a black man but let his music deliver the message. His style of playing was very soulful, and his lyrics were very sincere. The way he played his guitar was truly an original form with flavors of zydeco, gospel, funk, soul, flamenco and jazz.

His songs told of the lives of people he has known. Their stories were often of absolute despair and their pursuit of a better life.

His simplicity and honesty seemed to be the main reason the audience seemed to connect with him.

The entire production proved successful. No artist preached anything, but they delivered only their personal stories and allowed for the interpretation to be left to the audience.

Carolyn Princes, the director of the cultural center, said she was exceptionally pleased with the outcome of the night's events.

She said her goal was "to move toward the future without having to look back."

Her intentions are to help build such an accepting setting for those of all cultures to live in that past problems of racism will not play a part in their lives.

She said she hopes that people will know their differences but not allow that to play a part in their interactions with each other.