AHSC’s Must-See Entertainers

AMBER FIELD
Amber Field began playing piano at age five. She received a BA in Indian History from Pomona College and studied abroad in India. Amber chants and plays esraj, didgeridoo and drums in Bay Area yoga classes. amberfieldmusic.com

ANIMEMYU
Animemyu, a non-profit that serves to inspire people to learn about Japanese culture and language through Japanese animation musicals, is best known for its Sailor Moon Musical that has been performed for the past three years at the city’s Cherry Blossom Festival. animemyu@gmail.com

ARGONNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Argonne Elementary School is proud to present a class of fourth and fifth grade students in their debut performance of hip-hop and drumming. These dedicated students spent five months training and learning choreography during recess, lunch times and after school from their teacher, Julianne Eng.

CHARLIE CHIN
The Chinese Historical Society of America proudly presents an original History Alive! performance of Uncle Toisan by artist-in-residence Charlie Chin. This Chautauqua-style storytelling presentation features a Chinese American immigrant’s life in the U.S., highlighting the Chinese Exclusion Act, Angel Island, WWII and the civil rights movement.

CHUNG NGAI DANCE TROUPE
Chung Ngai Dance Troupe, established in 1966, serves to promote Chinese performing arts in the U.S. Students participate in a variety of cultural activities, including Chinese folk dancing, Chinese yo-yo, lion dancing, drumming and martial arts.

CITIZEN SCHOOLS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN INTERMEDIATE
Citizen Schools, a non-profit after school program for low-income middle school students, serves to educate students and strengthen communities by introducing kids to resources and activities available in their own backyards.

CURT YAGI
Voted the 2008 “Best of the Bay Singer Songwriter” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Curt Yagi’s music, filled with percussive guitar licks, breathy vocals, rhythmic beats and driving bass lines, will keep you going the entire day. curtyagi.com

DRUNKEN HU
A group of four formed in 2006, Drunken Hu is a blend of alternative, hard rock, punk, metal and pop. myspace.com/drunkenhu

MILES OUTSIDE
An alternative hip-hop band based in the Bay Area, the members of Miles Outside are from various musical backgrounds including funk, rock, jam, hip hop, soul and drum and bass.

KAPAKAHI
Like the multi-cultural mix of musicians that make up the band, Kapakahi is about celebrating diversity in all its fun, funky glory with music that is a fresh and progressive mash-up of pop, reggae, hip hop and funk. kapakahimusic.com

KAZ-WELL
Kaz-well is a San Francisco-born hip-hop artist with tastes ranging from folk, rock and electornica. His album Fish Outta Water comes out later this year. myspace.com/kazwellmusic

LYRICS BORN
One of the best-selling independent hip-hop artists of this era, Lyrics Born released his first solo album Later That Day in 2003, one of the top 5 most critically acclaimed American hip-hop records that year. His following albums include Same !@#$ Different Day and Everywhere at Once.

LIKHA
Founded in 1992, LIKHA Pilipino Folk Ensemble is a performing group that believes in the power of dance and music to educate the Pilipino American community and diverse audiences about the Philippine culture. likha.org

NATIVE ELEMENTS
Native Elements, a collective of musicians and singers, has been performing for over a decade. With its repertoire firmly in the roots-reggae tradition, the group combines their colorful influences into an amalgamation of positive, vibrant music that speaks from the heart. chris@native-elements.com

PLANET INFINITY
Winning heaps of awards at the 2009 American Tae Kwon Do Open Championship, Planet Infinity consists of youth who have a strong desire to share to the community how tae kwon do has impacted their lives. They will showcase martial arts skills and stunts to encourage other youth to strive to be not just champions in the game, but champions in life.

PUSHIN’ THE BAY – EMCEE T, MAC MALL AND RAY LUV
The “Chinese King of the Bay,” Emcee T is a hip-hop musician, producer and television host for East Bay independent channel, Pushin’ the Bay TV. Through his music, he strives to enable Asian youth to achieve their career goals while having fun through positive hobbies. His first album, Underestimated, will debut soon.

RANDOM NINJAS
Random Ninjas is a heavy rock band spawned from the critical mass of global culture in the heart of L.A. Strong edgy vocals completes the aural masterpieces to bring audiences a new cultural freedom of expression in RANDOMNESS.

THE MAHEA UCHIYAMA CENTER FOR INTL DANCE AND KA UA TUAHINE POLYNESIAN DANCE COMPANY
Established in 1993, the MUCID Center serves to provide an environment where students of all ages and abilities can take part in a holistic multicultural dance experience through traditional training, lecture, demonstrations, performance opportunities and workshops with master teachers.

MAHEALANI UCHIYAMA AND KAUATUAHINE POLYNESIAN DANCE COMPANY
A dancer and musician, Mahealani has been a teacher of Polynesian dance for over 25 years. The executive director of the Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance and the artistic director of the KaUaTuahine Polynesian Dance Company, she has also won numerous awards in dance, chant, singing and drumming. Mahealani’s CD A Walk by the Sea was awarded the Hawai‘i Music Award for Best World Music Album in 2007.

THE VIETNAMESE PERFORMING ARTS GROUP / NGUYEN DANCE COMPANY
Devoted to teaching dance, Danny Quynh Nguyen established the Nguyen Dance Company in 1999. He is the first Vietnamese modern dancer, teacher and choreographer in the United States to receive his B.F.A. in Dance, Performance and Choreography from the California Institute of The Arts and his M.F.A. in Dance, Performance and Choreography from Mills College.

THOMAS’ APARTMENT
A musical creation fusing hard-driving riffs, euphoric melodies, serious lyrical depth with an alternative-rock-pop sensibility, the five-member Thomas’ Apartment is back with their brand-new second record Synchrony after the success of their debut, self-titled 12-track album in 2004. thomasapartment.com

WING CHUN DEMONSTRATION ‘THE STORY AND STYLE OF GRANDMASTER CHRIS CHAN’
Grandmaster Chan Kam Shig (Christopher Chan) was the first Chinese instructor to teach Chinese martial arts to the American public. During the 1960s, Chan and his friend Bruce Lee introduced and spread the popularity of the Wing Chun system throughout the Bay Area. Chan was the chief director in charge of promoting the first U.S. Chinese Kung Fu Exhibition in 1967. Chan founded the U.S. Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy and is currently the president and chief Instructor. Uswingchun.com

The Mango Kingz
The Mango Kingz are group of seven guys, Alan Aliga, Arturo Bautista, Derrick Posadas, Janjay Coquilla, Randy Herrera, Elliott Hirai and Kapena DeLima, who have come together with the common passion for island style music and spreading aloha to those who love to groove. Mix Jawaiian reggae beats and catchy lyrics together and you get what the Mango Kingz are known for, that feel-good “Island Flava” music. Their music combines intricate vocal harmonies and an upbeat island tune for a style that appeals to the masses. With that in mind, for ten years strong, they’ve been working towards that dream to “Spread a little Aloha around the world.” So if you love the sun, the cocktails, that summer breeze, and the sand blowing across your feet on a tropical beach, just sit back, close your eyes, and let the Kingz take you “Back to da kine.” Be on the look out for their freshman CD being released late 2009.