At its annual cultural dinner, the Korean American Student Association presented a love story full of obstacles between a princess and a servant, titled “The Shadow Prince.”
The March 9 dinner and show kicked off with a line of traditional Korean food including kimchi fried rice, jeyuk bokkeum or spicy marinated pork and a fresh dessert called patbingsu, or fruits and red beans over shaved ice.
The menu had a variety of vegetable dishes, which satisfied vegetarians and meat lovers alike.
“The food tasted as great as it looked,” long-time KASA member senior Joon Chun said. After the guests finished the remaining food, everyone took their seats to enjoy the show.
The members showcased their unique Korean-American heritage with a rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” followed by the South Korean National Anthem “Aegukga.”
The skit began with Princess JuHee, played by sophomore Lily Jung, fighting with her father, played by senior Mintae Kim, for setting her up with unwanted suitors. Her father won the argument and forced his daughter to meet three suitors who performed a dance in a futile attempt to win JuHee's affections. Although their dance was impressive, the arrogant and conceited suitors were unable to woo the princess.
In the midst of the ruckus, JuHee's servant TaeMin, played by sophomore Paul Lee, sang a heartfelt song revealing his love for her. After overhearing the beautiful performance, the princess was touched by the genuine voice, but was unable to identify the singer.
One of the suitors, JinWoo, played by sophomore Phillip Yoo, took on the antagonist role and claimed credit for the performance - peaking JuHee's interest. JinWoo, who had everyone laughing throughout the skit, blackmailed TaeMin into helping him win the princess's heart and dubbed him “the shadow prince.”
The skit incorporated the traditional Korean fan dance, a yearly treat from KASA, as well as a traditional drumming performance called janggu. The talented members also performed modern dances to popular Korean songs like “Loving U” by SISTAR and “Wedding Dress” by Taeyang.
Although the dancing was exciting and impressive, the group's singing talents swept everyone away. This combination of traditional and modern revealed the many facets of the Korean culture.
TaeMin realized his mistake of tricking the princess after JuHee fell in love with the wrong man and accepted JinWoo's marriage proposal. TaeMin confessed his love in a song and JuHee realized that she really belonged with him. The happy couple ended with a dance, which lead to the final curtain - during which everyone danced to the popular “Gangnam Style” by PSY.
“I'm so happy that [the show] is finally over and it was a huge success, but at the same time, I'm becoming upset as I realize that this was my last Korean night,” KASA President senior Doris Lee said.