Honoring the Old, Celebrating the New at Asian Culture Night
April 10, 2026
• High schoolers embraced Asian culture through various forms during the annual performance Thursday night.
As community members slowly filtered through the Needham High School auditorium, students congregated along the right-hand aisle, puttering with their instruments, warming their vocal cords and scuttling backstage for last-minute rehearsals.
Asian Culture Night, for co-host and NHS junior Sienna Tow, is a “legacy.”
“Being able to spread something that we both love and that we’re so connected to, but also connect ourselves more to,” Tow said, “it has been huge.”
The annual event brings together the high school’s Asian clubs through student performance and celebration of the Asian cultural diaspora. Members of the Asian Student Union, Mandarin Club, Chinese Honor Society and other adjacent organizations displayed their talents through song, dance, instrumentation and skill-based demonstrations.
Across 17 performances, local students blended tradition with more modern expression, oscillating between classic Chinese songs, K-Pop dance routines, a fan performance and a neon light show.
NHS senior Lulu Wang co-hosted and organized the event, now several years running. Wang serves as president of the Asian Student Union and founded the school’s Chinese Diabolo YoYo Club, with which she and Tow performed Thursday.
Coming into high school, Wang said she at times felt insecure about her Chinese American identity — Needham is a predominantly white community. But NHS’s numerous affinity groups, spanning cultures and interests, changed Wang’s mentality.
“It really made me feel more proud of my culture. I wanted to show it off,” Wang said. “I wanted to show everyone there’s nothing to be ashamed of, and I’m really proud of it. And Asian Night is just taking that to the next level, putting it all on display for everyone.”
Most performers were NHS students, though one Broadmeadow Elementary second grader, Kaili Dou, took the stage to perform a traditional Chinese dance. Anderson Lee played “Maple Leaf Rag” on piano while blindfolded, and both students and faculty — including the district’s Director of K-12 World Languages Elizabeth Zajac — performed the popular “Little Apple” dance.
Members of the K-Pop Club danced to several songs, including at least one with their own choreography. Sid Karjee played the tabla, which are hand drums from South Asia. Others sang solos, duets and in ensembles.
“If you noticed, it’s not just Chinese people or Asian people who were up there,” Tow said after the show. “So many people learn about the culture through the class and through their experiences. It’s such a great way to spread our culture and bring everyone together in one night.”
Chinese Friends of Needham provided a small grant toward the event, the organization’s Dennis Zhang said. Students’ passion for Asian music and dress is exciting, he said.
“It’s a great initiative for the young generation to lead, because they grow up different from us,” Zhang said. “The kids really love it, because it’s a cool way to demonstrate their skills and showcase their culture.”
The Needham Human Rights Committee also co-sponsored the event.
In an email, Zajac praised the students who organized the club and the educators who contributed to its success. The annual tradition brings the community together, she said.
“Beyond the students’ remarkable skills and confidence, what stood out to me was the genuine care and encouragement they showed one another… Students were fully present for one another and created a spirit of inclusion, pride and shared joy that defined the entire evening,” she wrote. “This is what our program and Asian Culture Night is all about — coming together through language, culture and kindness.”
As Wang prepares to graduate this spring, she feels she’s leaving Asian Culture Night in good hands.
“This is really a big moment for me, but it’s going so strong. We have so many people in lower grades that are still interested,” she said. “I’m totally confident even when my year leaves, it’s going to continue and be such a big thing continuously.”
