SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development and Mu Performing Arts is presenting a world premiere production, Tiger Tales: Hmong Folktales, May 1-23 for a 20-day run in SteppingStone’s beautiful new theatre in St. Paul’s Historic Hill District. Tiger Tales is the fifth collaboration between SteppingStone Theatre and Mu Performing Arts, and is written by local artists R.A Shiomi and Cha Yang, with music by well-known local musician and composer Gary Rue.
Tiger Tales is the story of the quintessential American dream-that of immigrants struggling to find a place in the New World, embracing their new lives while retaining their traditional culture. A Hmong family living in St. Paul is having trouble adapting to life in their new home until Grandmother shares some traditional Tiger stories with them. Through these three stories, the children find a deeper connection with their own culture, and learn how they can use the stories’ messages to help them defeat the “tigers” of American life. Tiger Tales is a story that speaks to the history of every American family, and should be experienced by all.
According to Rick Shiomi, Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts, “Tiger Tales is a fun look at a Hmong American family in the throes of adjusting from memories of village life in Laos to the urban jungle of the Twin Cities. Through her stories, the grandmother shares the traditional Hmong world with her grandkids who think that it’s long gone, but learn her stories can apply to their own lives. The story brings monkeys, tigers and crows into the family living room in ways that are fantastical, fun and fitting to the challenges of life today.” Today…(immigrants) still struggle with the same issues people struggled with (throughout the history of our country). We also share the same hopes and ambitions, and of course, the burning desire to learn, change and grow that Americans are so famous for.”
Tiger Tales is a total collaboration between SteppingStone Theatre and Mu Performing Arts. The play was developed collaboratively by Richard Hitchler, Artistic Director for SteppingStone, and Rick Shiomi, Artistic Director for Mu, along with Cha Vang. The two artistic directors worked together on production concepts, designs, and throughout the entire production and rehearsal process. On stage, Mu provides an adult actor from their company, and SteppingStone provides the youth actors. This type of collaboration is good for both companies, and good for the actors, young and old alike. Most importantly, it provides audiences an exciting and unusual theatre experience.
Hitchler says, “The great thing about collaborations with Mu Performing Arts, is that our two missions are complementary, but we serve different audiences. A production like Tiger Tales gives us a chance to collectively expand our artistic horizons, and to reach people who may not usually attend shows by the other company.”
Performance Information:
All performances of Tiger Tales: Hmong Folktales are in SteppingStone’s new theatre, a beautifully renovated 100-year-old architectural gem located at 55 Victoria Street North, one block north of Summit Avenue in the Historic Hill District of St. Paul.
Tiger Tales: Hmong Folktales is appropriate for all ages. SteppingStone Theatre is disability-accessible, and has regularly-scheduled ASL & Audio Described performances. Interpreters can be scheduled for other performances at no additional cost upon request. For more information, call 651-225-9265.
Tickets are $11 for adults and $9 for seniors and children 2-17. Performance times and tickets are available at (651) 225-9265 or www.steppingstonetheatre.org.
SteppingStone Theatre produces high quality, affordable family entertainment, created by professional artists and performed by and for youth. Serving nearly 70,000 youth, families, and educators from diverse ethnic, social and economic backgrounds each year, SteppingStone has become a premier destination for interactive, youth-centered theatre.
Fresh off their appearance at this year’s July 4th Soccer tournament, Suddenrush is making waves with their unique styling and fresh sounds. Made up of four siblings: Pat Her, Roger Her, Joe Her, and Cheenou Her, they hail from British Columbia, Canada. Their new album, “Tiam No”, breaks away from the common sounds of a Hmong band, by combining a taste of Rock, Pop, and even Country in a blend of melodies that will have you tapping your feet to the beat.
“Suddenrush’s goal is to write and record music for themselves and their fellow Hmong, as well as to contribute something meaningful to the future of Hmong Music.”
The basis of most music and motivation comes from emotions experienced, the song “Mi Noog” draws from just that. Pat Her does a wonderful job of portraying the feelings and emotions of letting go. Her tender voice is quite deceiving as it brings forth such energy and spirit that it’s hard not to turn the volume up higher and higher just to have her closer. The electrical chords and beats in “Xav Kom Zoo” also showcases the other side of being a Hmong band, combining the rock band influence that’s reminescent of vintage Voltage and Sounders. Lastly, “Goodbye” leaves you yearning for more. Although the song is a nice closure to a fantastic album, you can be sure that they will continue to build upon what they’ve started. We’ll be here to hear them grow.
Hmongism is proud to feature this up and coming band as part of the new sound of a new generation. Suddenrush exemplifies all that is part of the Hmongism movement, combining solid Hmong traditions and adding their own style. We caught up with Suddenrush and had the opportunity to interview the band about music, life, and their new album “Tiam No”.
Interview with Suddenrush
Hmongism:What is Suddenrush and how did you come up with your band name?
Suddenrush: When Pat and Joe first finished writing Mi Noog, they decided that if there was to be a band, they needed a name. After running through a bunch of ideas Pat came up with Suddenrush. As Pat puts it, music is like a drug. It gives you this Suddenrush of energy and motivation.
Hmongism: Tell us a little bit about your music and what it means.
Suddenrush: We try to keep our music based on actual events that can, may, or have happened in somebody’s life. We want to give listeners something that they can really relate to. Music has susch a large influence on many peoples’ lives and having something as simple as a song to listen to while on your way to work or relaxing at home can be very inspirational at times.
Hmongism: Was it difficult writing and recording an album? Any hurdles to overcome in the process?
Suddenrush: The recording portion was quite tiring. Trying to juggle our everyday lives with recording time, as well as trying to work with the studio schedule was quite exhausting. Recording at odd hours of the early morning and night really took it’s toll. As for wrting the album, we’ve been working on certain pieces for quite some time before planning to record. Most of the songs have been in process for quite some time, the rest were written through the four of us throwing ideas around in the studio.
Hmongism: What made you decide to sing your songs in Hmong vs. English?
Suddenrush: Through experimenting with English and Hmong lyrics, we found that Hmong lyrics suited the type of music we wrote best. Everyone knows that the hmong music industry is growing slowly and has come quite a long ways. So what better then to contribute to it and help it grow even further. We do enjoy writing hmong and english music, but for now hmong is the direction we are headed and we are quite happy with our progress.
Hmongism: Your song “Mi Noog” has won praises from your listeners, can you explain the song for us?
Suddenrush: Mi Noog is a song about love and loss. Everyone at some point in their lives is faced with a situation, whether it be a broken relationship, loved one moving away, or even death. This song describes an individual who is dealing with having to let a loved one go and asking that the pain and misery be felt only within him/her. The song also goes on to describe that the indiviual’s love is so strong, that he/she is willing to go on living this life without any new lover, hoping that one day their loved one will return to them. It is a very common scenario which is why so many listeners can relate to the song. The song not only describes the pain of losing someone, but also shows that one can be strong and have hope that they may one day be reuntied with their love.
Hmongism: Who are your major influences in music? Who are your favorite bands/singers?
Suddenrush: We are inluenced by many types of music and bands. Everything from Roxette to Bon Jovi, Motley Crue to Def Leppard, Luj Yaj, TX, Xob Dub, Mai Xiong…just for starters.
Hmongism: Your first album was released at the July 4th 2008 Soccer tournament in Minnesota, how did it feel to perform live in front of the crowds? Was this your first visit to the United States? Any memorable moments at the tournament?
Suddenrush: It was very refreshing to perform live again, minus the crazy hot weather. We’ve all been playing in various bands and doing shows prior to the creation of Suddenrush, so playing on stage was nothing new. It did feel very rewarding to get up and play live after quite some time being couped up in a recording studio. It would have been nice to have the whole band up there, but unfortunately our Roger (Suddenrush drummer) couldn’t make the trip. We have had a few visits to Seattle, as a band, and played a couple of New Years and small parties, but July 4th was our first trip to MN.
Hmongism: Any new updates or upcoming events planned for the near future?
Suddenrush: Our next venture is going to be to Sacramento’s Hmong New Years celebration. We will be selling our full length album at the vending area. Prior to that we will be perform at the Vancouver, Canada Hmong New Years. Many fans have been asking for a concert, which is something that we are taking into consideration, but as for this year goes it is highly unlikely. Fans can definately expect a concert sometime following New Years.
Hmongism: What are some words of advice for aspiring Hmong artists?
Suddenrush: Don’t be afraid to dream too big. Every great artists starts from the same place. No one is born a star nor an artist. Some people take longer then otheres to grasp the skills, but don’t give up. There is a place in the music world for anyone who is committed and tries hard to excel with their talent. If you have an opportunity to show case your talent, no matter how minor, take it. You just never know who will be watching or listening.
Hmongism: Any final words for the readers?
Suddenrush: Thanks to everyone, fans, family and friends for your kind words of wisdom and support. Without all of you Suddenrush would not be a reality. Much love to all! We hope that our music will continually touch your lives.
Hmongism: And thank you for taking the time to help us out with this interview! You definitely have a fan in us and also among our readers! Please keep us updated on anything else that comes up!
The plot of Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino is a closely guarded secret. But now that shooting has wrapped up, how the Hmong actors fit into their roles is becoming more visible. Clint Eastwood’s character, Walt, stumbles into the middle of a struggle within the Hmong community. He tries to intervene in a contest between a war-torn family and a ruthless street gang over the soul of a teenaged boy.
Meet the Gran Torino family
Bee Vang
What defines the young man who plays Eastwood’s alter-ego in Gran Torino? Bee Vang, 16, is as humble as the character, Tao, though not quite as bookish. With a mild-mannered countenance and a slight build, he’s equipped to fill the role of neighborhood wimp. At 5’5” he says the height difference with Eastwood’s 6’2” is part of the point. “Tao is literally ‘looking up’ to Walt” in the story, Bee explains.
Bee is still starry-eyed, despite working opposite Eastwood for weeks. Born in Fresno, and now from the Minneapolis suburbs, he never thought he would go into acting. In fact, he was buried in his high school books, already taking courses at the University of Minnesota. He was planning to go pre-med.
Bee thought medicine was his passion, but “I was hoping that getting this part was trying to tell me to follow my other passions.” Although he has no more than drama club for his theater training, this multi-talent also loves filming, painting and drawing. He plays classical music on piano, viola, oboe and flute. And he does school band.
Bee landed a private audition for Gran Torino before the May open casting in the Twin Cities. After his callback, he waited and waited. One day the phone rang. The guy said, “Are you driving?” Bee said, “No.” “Are you doing anything that would put your life in danger?” “No.” “Well, Clint would like to work with you!” “I got down on my knees and started crying,” he recalls, with emotion. “The whole thing was really life-changing.”
It’s not surprising that he was “floored” by the news. Bee had been a longtime fan of Eastwood, owning videos of Letters from Iwo Jima, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the first Dirty Harry and several others. Eastwood, he informs me, has been known to Hmong since they used to watch his movies in Ban Vinai.
It’s clear that Bee savors his work with this 78-year-old icon of Hollywood. He’s making Clint a mentor in life, just like their roles in the show. Bee’s had his share of being picked on, even had his bike stolen as a kid. But despite bringing up bad memories, he’s “enjoying every second of working with the entire crew…They know I’m inexperienced and young. They let me know when I need directing. I’m learning a lot.”
The winner of this year’s InSession songwriting contest, which encourages up-and-coming Hmong musical artists, is Sarah Yang of Oakdale.
The contest, organized by the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT), is now in its seventh year. This year’s judges included University of Minnesota composition professor Alex Lubet and previous winners Thomas Yang (no relation) and Oskar Ly. In winning the contest, Yang received a $500 gift certificate to American Guitar and Band in Maple Grove, as well as 20 hours of recording time at Essential Studios in St. Paul. “I’m going to buy a new guitar,” she says with a smile.
As with many of the Hmong residents of the Twin Cities, Yang’s past contains many different places called home. Yang’s parents were born in Laos, but later moved to California, where Yang was born. In search of greater job opportunities, the family moved to the Twin Cities. Now 16, Yang attends Tartan Senior High School.
Yang writes songs in both Hmong and English, and her lyrics often reflect her Christianity. One of the songs she performed at the contest’s finals was a retelling of the Prodigal Son parable. While drawing on these beliefs, she makes a conscious effort to frame her music more universally. “It’s kind of music based on problems, trials and tribulations that I go through. And it’s a way of giving people hope.”
Yang only started performing and writing her own songs within the last year, inspired by the many singer-songwriters in her church community and feels that the recording will be “a good jumpstart for what I want to do in the future.” She has her sights set on becoming a worship leader and performing at church conventions throughout the country.
Yang believes that events like InSession can help Hmong artists of all stripes, regardless of the style or message of their music. “It’s a good way to get it across to the Hmong community that they can write music,” she says, “a way to make sure that they use the talents they have.”
Justin Schell is a freelance writer and a grad student at the University of Minnesota’s Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society program. He’s working on a dissertation on Twin Cities immigrant and diasporic hip-hop and plays the washboard tie with The Gated Community.
The Minnesota Children’s Museum is featuring a new exhibit titled “Hmong at Heart,” which will run through Jan. 19 at the museum in St. Paul.
The exhibit allows visitors to view the everyday lives of Hmong people in three environments: A village in Laos, a refugee camp in Thailand and a Hmong-American home.
Visitors can create bead patterns, view Hmong artifacts, learn everyday Hmong phrases, plot out 50 acres of farmland and take part in a creative writing poetry station.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and weekends, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays. Admission is $7.95 for the general public and free for members.
The museum is at Seventh and Wabasha streets in downtown St. Paul. For more information, call (651) 225-6000.
ASHWAUBENON - The area’s Hmong community began ushering out the old and readying for the new at a pre-New Year festival on Saturday.
The gathering, at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena, featured a dance and talent competition, ethnic food, traditional Hmong costumes and the ball toss, a social game played by tossing a shiny ball back and forth between boys and girls.
Organizers expected several thousand people to attend throughout the day. Several hundred people mingled around the arena floor and bleachers on Saturday afternoon. A dinner was planned for Saturday night.
The Hmong New Year hinges on the arrival of November?s new moon, which falls Thanksgiving, and is a traditional celebration of fall harvest, said Pai Lee, chairwoman of the event.
Pa Houa, a host, said the event draws Hmong people from around Northeastern Wisconsin.
Many at Saturday’s event wore traditional Hmong garb, highlighted by bright colors and lots of coin-like ornaments which jingles continually while walking or moving.
But Makato Yang, 24, of Green Bay, wore a different costume - his green Army National Guard dress uniform - as part of the event’s color guard. Had he not been escorting the flag, he would have been in traditional Hmong wear.
“The Hmong New Year is about getting everybody together and sharing the bounty”, said Yang. “It’s about new things and looking forward to the future.”
Thursday night, Missoula resident Helen Cappadocia gave a talk about her collection of more than 600 brilliantly colored textile pieces from the Hmong culture, 74 of which are on display until Saturday at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture.
The Helen Cappadocia Collection of Southeast Asian Textiles showcases traditional and ceremonial dress and other textile items including wedding outfits, skirts, prayer shawls, an elephant head cloth, a money vest, hats and a Buddhist temple banner woven out of cotton and bamboo.
I thought that if these pieces were dispersed that the culture would be lost, said Cappadocia, a former Chicago gallery owner and one of the first female licensed contractors in Montana.
She began collecting the intricate weavings in 1989 in the midst of political unrest in Laos in an effort to help preserve their culture.
Cappadocia said she included textiles from Thailand, Burma and Laos to show the variety of people that the Hmong lived amongst.
We think largely in terms of the nation-state, but many cultures are not as involved in that as we are, Cappadocia said.
The contemporary Hmong pieces are called story cloths. They tell stories of important features of Hmong history in stitched pictures and words. The four story cloths on display depict the Hmong migration south from China, the Vietnam War, relocation in Missoula and the Hmong New Year celebration.
The Hmong sided with the West in the Vietnam War following recruitment by the American CIA. One of the story cloths depicts Hmong soldiers rescuing American pilots whose plane had been shot down, leading to their captivity in Vietnamese POW camps, Cappadocia explained.
After the war ended, many Hmong fled the area and this is what brought some of the Hmong to the United States and Missoula.
Manuela Well-Off-Man, curator of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture, said that the Hmong are known for their work ethic and that there are several Hmong in Missoula who sell fruit and vegetables at the Saturday farmer’s market.
Well-Off-Man estimates that the oldest piece on display dates from around 1910. Most of the items in the exhibit were used in everyday life.
Some of the pieces on display reflect the ancient Hmong spiritual leanings towards Buddhism and animism. Animism is a religious belief whereby spirits and souls exist in nature in plants and animals.
The goal of the woman was to create something that dazzles the eye and also has spiritual meaning, Well-Off-Man said.
Perhaps the most successful and prolific actor to turn director, Clint Eastwood’s appearances on-screen have become increasingly sparse over the years as he has taken on projects that don’t have roles for him.
The last one was four years ago as the boxing manager in Million Dollar Baby, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor. He didn’t win, but the movie added best picture and best director to his Academy Award victories.
He’s back again in Gran Torino, opening Dec. 17, and he hasn’t looked this furious in a movie poster since 1976’s The Outlaw Josey Wales.
“Well, I’m older now. It’s easier to look angrier when you’re an old guy,” Eastwood, 78, says with a laugh.
Eastwood is still finishing the movie, but it already is regarded as a stealth Oscar contender given his recent track record of Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Letters From Iwo Jima. The first trailer for Gran Torino can be seen this weekend before Eastwood’s Changeling.
His Gran Torino character is Walt Kowalski, a racist Korean War veteran whose prized possession is a classic car that catches the eye of local gangs in his Detroit neighborhood. One of the troubled kids who covets the vehicle is from a family of Hmong immigrant neighbors, whom Kowalski has long resented.
The story comes down to two objects (three if you count the scowl): his 1972 Ford muscle car and his M-1 rifle.
“That’s the weapon he has had left over since being in the service,” Eastwood says. “And the same weapon I had when I was in the Army.”
Eastwood also served during the Korean War, and though he wasn’t in combat, he says: “I still know how to operate it. Field strip it …”
He chuckles.
Apart from that slight parallel, Eastwood has little in common with Kowalski. “He worked on the line in the Ford plant and retired and had this one car he bought himself. It’s sort of a symbol of his days with the Ford plant. The M-1 is sort of a symbol of his days in the military. … He’s clinging to the memory of the war. You’ll find out when you see it, some of (the memories) are not as pleasant as others. That helps make him even tougher to get along with.”
Newcomer Bee Vang, a 17-year-old Hmong American originally from the Minneapolis area, was cast as the neighbor boy who strikes up a mutually reluctant relationship with Walt.
“The young kid, as part of a gang initiation, tries to steal it, and the old guy gets him at the end of the M-1, which becomes kind of a big deal,” Eastwood says. “The kid has to do penance because of the pride of the Asian group. They make him do penance. He has to come over, and the old guy doesn’t want anything to do with him, doesn’t want him anywhere around.”
The fastest way to rid himself of the boy, Kowalski decides, is to cooperate.
“Walt helps him get a job and helps him toughen up a bit,” Eastwood says. “(Walt) doesn’t work construction. He’s retired. But he gets the boy in through a buddy, an old crony. They take him in and try to show him how to handle himself in life.”
“The old guy,” as Eastwood calls his character, ends up confronting prejudices that have isolated him.
“It’s got a lot of twists and turns in the story,” indicating some darker moments. “It also has some good laughs.”
Eastwood is producing, directing and even composing music for movies at an age when other filmmakers would be retired. Acting is the only area in which he has cut back.
“Yeah, it’ll probably be my last,” he says of Gran Torino. “I’ll be drummed out of it after this one.”
After more than 50 years and dozens of iconic characters, could he be serious?
That familiar dry voice on the phone turns into a chuckle. “Nah, I’m just kidding.”
But Eastwood acknowledges that the thought crosses his mind. “Every time you do one you think, ‘Aw, that’s enough of that.’ I always feel it’s very comfortable to be behind the camera.”
And then there’s working with the director. “Yeah, I don’t have to deal with him,” Eastwood says, laughing again. (The last time he didn’t direct himself was 15 years ago, in Wolfgang Petersen’s In the Line of Fire.)
Turning serious, he acknowledges the obvious about acting in Gran Torino. “It was fun. But I’m not destined to do too many more. I’ve been happy doing the ones I haven’t been in.”
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