Carrie Ann Inaba Says "Yes, asians CAN dance!" at Visionary Awards

Posted on April 30, 2009 - 5:23pm by terra And they can do a lot of other stuff, too! (Yes, more than just math!) I went the East West Players' 43rd Annual Visionary Awards Night at the Universal City Hilton, where I met some of the most notable Asian Americans in the entertainment industry, including--get this--LONG DUK DONG!  Well, his real name is Gedde Watanabe; he was in Sixteen Candles. He's much older now, but still has that sweet, innocent smile and he's a sweetheart.  When I told him I was a fan (as if my expression didn't make it completely obvious), he was so gracious and thanked me for coming to support the organization that he has been a part of for years.



And for all you trekkies...



George Takei is Chair of East West Players.  I got to sit at his table with Michael Copon!



The Visionary Awards honors those who have raised the visibility of Asian Pacific American community through their artistic excellence in performing arts and those whom have supported the community.

The 3 Filipino Tenors kicked off the night with a powerful performance.  Not really my kind of music, but these guys can definitely SANG it!



Then entered the Master and Mistress of Ceremonies Francois Chau (Lost) and Tamlyn Tomita (24 and The Joy Luck Club), who first awarded Jessica Yu for her documentary filmmaking.  She's won numerous festivals awards and her documentary short Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien won an Academy Award.





Also awarded were John Cho, Quest Crew and California Community Foundation. Of course, John is best known for his comical role as Harold in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and John in American Pie.  John was much more reserved in person than in his films... maybe because he was in a suit, but I expected him to be more personable.  I don't know... maybe he was just really busy or stressed.  Anyway... he was grinning like a little school girl by the time he received his award.



It was the dancers who truly made my night: Carrie Ann Inaba and Quest Crew.  Carrie Ann looked stunning in her long royal blue gown and made a touching speech about how important East West Players is to her; she truly cares about supporting and motivating the young generation of Asian Americans in the performing arts.



Carrie Ann was very excited that Quest Crew was going to perform later in the evening to prove that, "Yes, asians CAN dance!"





Meeting the guys from Quest was very exciting for me--if you didn't already know, I'm obsessed with dance and if I were to return in another life, I'd wanna be a dancer.  They were hilarious, very cool and really thankful for their fame.  They truly deserve to be named America's Best Dance Crew; they've worked damn hard at it.  Watch their AMAZING performance and my interview with the guys at the event here.

Other performers included Broadway actress Lea Salonga,



TAIKOPROJECT drummers,



and singer Ethan Le Phong.



There were over a hundred silent auction items to raise funds for EWP.  All great stuff, including autographed memorabilia, dinners, wine, jewelry, etc... and even this autographed photo of Quest Crew...



Hmmm... but what about this autographed Jabbawockeez shirt?? Decisions, decisions...



Well, good thing I'm broke, or else I'd be in a pickle. (Kidding, guys!)



See more photos from the event below:

[gallery]