by Hiranmayi Ganapathy ('24)
The members of TemptAsian, the Asian performing arts group at South Brunswick High School, are getting ready for their upcoming show on February 23. Usually, the event consists of mainly South/North Indian music and caters different types of Indian food such as Samosas and drinks like Mango Lassi. “This is my second year as the Asian Cultural Club Advisor. We had TemptAsian as one of our events.” said advisor Ms. Grishma Patel.
This year will be even more exciting because they added a Vietnamese section. Members think it’s a good idea for TemptAsian to include songs from additional cultures because hopefully more people will come out to the show. They say that different cultures will bring more excitement and curiosity which will attract many people coming to watch the show.
TemptAsian’s South Indian team also performed at the Winter Pep Rally. They performed Tamil songs, including “Marana Mass” and “Vaada Thambi.” Many thought TemptAsian’s performance at the Winter Pep Rally was amazing as the students were so passionate about the dances.
“I’m really excited to perform for the show this year. I love both my teams, they’re really talented and the choreography is super creative and interesting,” said senior Anjana Kalisanath.
This shows that the TemptAsian members are looking forward to performing as much as the audience is looking forward to watching them. TemptAsian has different genres such as South Indian, Bollywood, Garba, Marathi, Vietnamese, etc.
The performers are working hard to get ready for the actual show. They have a Carnatic Section which showcases instruments such as the Veena and Tabla. They also have dance, music, and a storyline to go along with the theme. They will sell tickets closer to the date of the show.
Many people have plans to go to TemptAsian this year and are looking forward to it. Since seniors left last year, many new people have joined the team. This means that people can see their friends who are part of TemptAsian and cheer for them. Some of the performances also ask the audience where they are from and expand a little bit on their culture.