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CSULB Cambodian Student Society to host annual culture show

Cal State Long Beach’s Cambodian Student Society will begin its journey to “The Unraveling Truth” as it gears up to host its 29th annual culture show on March 17.

Students in the organization wrote the script, auditioned in fall semester and have been rehearsing weekly since the beginning of the spring semester, occupying most of the University Student Union’s third floor on Friday nights.

The annual culture show is one of the biggest events hosted by the Cambodian Student Society.

“Our show aims to please everyone in the audience,” said Peter Duong, vice president of CSS. “Whether you range from the elderly to the young, there’s everything from drama to comedy to even life lessons.”

The club is one of two culture clubs on campus that gets to host its culture show at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, alongside the Pilipino American Coalition.

The show will kick off with a traditional Khmer musical dance called Chhayam. The traditional dance number consists of multiple drums and a storyline. According to Marian Na, president of CSS, two girls come on stage while the drummers try to flirt with them. Na said the dance brings excitement to the crowd, and it is something the club starts off with at every culture show.

The event will showcase other traditional and modern dances as well. Audiences will get the chance to see hip-hop choreography in the modern dance segment and a traditional coconut dance.

The core of the show is a skit written by three students from the club: Duong, Treasurer Sitavy Thorng and External Public Relations officer Malain Houmoeung. The skit will be in English and the Cambodian language, Khmer. The story is based on true events taken from the writers’ life experiences. Duong says the show aims for audience members to appreciate their roots and where they came from.

Tickets for the show are now on sale, with pre-sale tickets costing $10 and $12 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will go to the club’s former president Christopher Ung, who recently passed away.

“He is a childhood friend,” Na said. “He tragically passed away before the semester started, and we were so busy planning [the culture show] that we didn’t have time to come up with any fundraisers, but we definitely want to give back to his family.”

For tickets or questions, email the club at cambodianstudentsociety@gmail.com.
 

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