Kollaboration New York Wraps Auditions

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Joyce Chen

Courtesy of Joyce Chen

So the weather outside was pretty frightful this weekend, no? But on the bright side, that meant it was the perfect weather for Kollaboration New York’s dedicated team to stay indoors all weekend — in search of this season’s set of finalists for the big show in September. And we’re so glad that we did.

After two solid days of live auditions, we’ve come to the conclusion that there really is no more talented city than the one that never sleeps — be it singer-songwriters, dancers, spoken word poets or artists we can’t even begin to tack a label on.

Suffice it to say, you’re all in for an amazing season of Kollaboration New York, and we can’t wait to reveal your top contenders for this year’s prize.

Stay tuned, and until next time, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @kollabny and Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/KollabNY. We want to hear what you guys want to hear (and read!) more of, so let’s keep this conversation flowin’.

Strollin’ Round the Interwebs: Unconventional Wisdom

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Joyce Chen

Courtesy of Net-A-Porter.com

ICYMI (that’s “In Case You Missed It” for you novice Internet users): This week, Lucy Liu graces the cover of online-only luxury fashion magazine Net-a-Porter. And by grace, we mean grace. The svelte actress — known for her turns on both the big and small screens — looks absolutely stunning in an array of gowns by Gucci, Lanvin and Herve Leger.

But it’s not the Queens-bred beauty’s fashion savvy that’s making headlines since the publication released its digital issue earlier this week. No, it’s what she’s saying in the interview that’s starting to catch fire.

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Meet the Kollaboration New York Staff: Dan Tran & Marian Asuncion

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Joyce Chen

Let’s take a break from talking about us for a change and talk about you instead. Without you guys, dear Kollaboration New York supporters, there would be no show, no talent, no Asian American movement. And that’s quite a scary thought, isn’t it? Which is why this year’s two campus coordinators, Dan Tran and Marian Asuncion, have been such an important part of our Kollaboration New York team (okay, we just shifted the dialogue back to us again, didn’t we?).

You’ve probably seen them out and about in the city tabling at events at your school and in your community, talking excitedly about who Kollaboration is and what we do. But we wanted to give you guys a better glimpse into these two hardworking staffers are as well, so the next time you run into them in the city, you can confidently say “What’s up” and “Thanks” without feeling totally creepy (unless that’s your style, in which case, go forth).

Read on to learn more about Dan and Marian’s involvement in the Asian American community, who is a self-professed “former FOB,” and which Kollaboration alum inspired Dan to get involved.

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Kollaboration New York: You Know You’ve Made It When…

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Joyce Chen

How do you measure success? The number of Twitter followers you’ve amassed? The tens of thousands of YouTube subscribers you’ve collect over the years? Or how about something a little less quantifiable, like a simple sense of accomplishment after penning a new song or choreographing a new dance? (Note, though: Twerking doesn’t count.)

For New York-based rapper Awkwafina (remember her? Here’s a refresher), taking the stage after legendary comedian and voice-actor Gilbert Gottfried is probably a pretty good sign that she’s on the right track. At Thursday night’s Running Late With Scott Rogowsky, the Forest Hills-born spitfire closed out the night with two of her hits: “My Vag” and “NYC Bitche$.” And she may have just gained herself some new fans.

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Strolling ‘Round the Interwebs: May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Slgi Choi

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Did you know that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month? No? (Saying yes because we have it stated up there as a headline doesn’t count.) Well, you might just be in good company, because even though the concept of celebrating the Asian Pacific American culture began in 1978 after Congress designated it a week-long shindig (it was later decided it should be a month-long celebration in 1990 because, c’mon, there’s a lot to celebrate), there are still a lot of people who are unaware of 1. Why we have an APAHM, 2. What takes place during APAHM, and 3. Why we enjoy acronyms so much (the short answer for No. 3 is because it makes things sound official and fancy.)

To that end, we at Kollaboration want to offer you a few awesome links that we stumbled upon while strolling ’round the Interwebs that might help you answer those questions. As Asian faces and voices are becoming more prominent in mainstream media, with the help of hit songs like Far East Movement’s “Like a G6″ and yes, Psy’s terribly catchy “Gentleman” (see: Matt Lauer above), more people are getting interested in the Asian American culture — which is a great thing.

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