Houston’s AA Festival Fights for Visibility Amidst Controversial Cancellation Decision
For their performances, children practice moving their feet in the choreographed footsteps of their ancestors and plucking the strings of a pipa, a curvy Chinese instrument usually not seen or heard by a mainstream audience. They practice performances to bring their cultural songs, dances and arts to a Pan Asian stage in Texas, but this year the long-standing festival was cancelled, a move that set off what is being called a mortal combat between festival officials and its longtime host venue.
Citing its new commitment to professional performances, board members of Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre in December rescinded a grant for the Houston Asian American Festival (HAAF), an annual two-day event in October of mostly community-based performers it has hosted for 20 years.
“We’re not putting this festival down,” said Paul Beutel, Miller Theatre artistic director. “It’s not in sync with our mission right now. That’s key to us, professional caliber performances. Our collective opinion after last year’s festival in October — once we experienced it — was that it was not at the caliber we wanted.”
At contention were the “recital type” children’s performances and martial arts demonstrations.
The decision enraged festival officials, raised accusations of ethnic bias and left performers like Changlu Wu and the young students at her Houston-based classical Chinese music school scrambling for answers. It takes Wu six months of preparation to develop her students’ — age five to eight — skill level and self-esteem for the festival. Last year, her students played “Yankee Doodle Dandy” along with other traditional Chinese songs.
“It was so cute! I think the quality is high. I am so proud of them,” said Wu, who has played at the festival for 10 years. Some of her students have played with professional groups, but for others the festival is their first taste of acclaim. So far she has avoided telling them about the cancellation.
“It’s so very sad because they’re looking [forward] for next year, for whole family time.”
A ‘Progenitor for Cultural Arts Performers’
The festival, which started in squares and strip malls 27 years ago, has grown into a weekend-long spectacle with food, cultural artifact exhibits and over 1,000 performers representing Houston’s diverse communities. Asian Pacific American leaders wanted to bring residents out of their cloistered ethnic enclaves and celebrate their different cultures as one APA community.
Over the years, the festival has also paid tribute to history and heroes. At the inaugural event, surviving members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team were honored onstage. The emotions almost overflowed, said Daniel Watanabe, HAAF president and JACL Houston vice president.
“Here were the sons of immigrants who fought for the country standing before an audience who were also predominantly immigrants,” said Watanabe, who was also the festival’s first chairperson.
The festival was a way for APAs to show off their heritage to all of Houston, he added.
In 1985, the festival moved to Miller Theatre, a public venue that provides tax-funded entertainment programs in a public park south of downtown. The event also received grant funding from the Miller Theater Advisory Board (MTAB), a mayor appointed board currently with two APA members, which collectively rescinded this year’s festival grant of $24,100.
“We’re regressing,” said Glenda Joe, HAAF executive director, who is half Chinese American half Irish. Growing up in Texas, she was ostracized because of her ethnicity.
“I had never done anything Asian until I did my first Asian festival. I got there and thought, ‘Wow. Look at all these Asians!’” added Joe, who has organized the festival since its inception and has seen the children of former young performers return to the stage. “The festival has become a progenitor for cultural arts performers.”
The War of Words
Joe accuses theatre officials of creating different requirements for minority festivals and unfairly changing rules.
“It’s a mortal combat,” she said about the current situation. “They are trying to kill us by slicing away little pieces of skin at a time."
Beutel disputed the claim and pointed out that MTAB is funding five other Asian events this season reserving HAAF’s rescinded grant monies for Asian programming. Although it is unusual for MTAB to withdraw funding, the decision was based on performance quality, insufficient attendance and cost, he said. According to his records, last year’s festival cost nearly $50,000 with an “inordinately high amount” of administrative cost while attracting 5,500 people over two days. For the evening martial arts program, he estimated 400 attendees. The venue has 1,500 seats and the adjacent lawn can accommodate up to 4,000.
But Joe contended that attracting 5,500 people on the same weekend as the Major League Baseball’s World Series was a testimony to the festival’s popularity.
“[The MTAB] attended one martial arts demonstration, counted the attendance and said the entire program was not attracting enough of an audience — that’s not professional,” said Watanabe.
City council members have been called upon to mediate and festival officials are looking into filing a lawsuit or a complaint to the city’s inspector general.
Miller Theatre is simply seeking more professional representation of Asian culture, said Bridgette Lee, an MTAB member. “Each season, there are multiple such performances including the Sixth Annual Houston Grand Taiko Festival. One of our desires is to attract an acclaimed Asian organization to perform in Houston that will appeal to a wide audience of Asians and non-Asians alike.”
Lee added that she has not received any complaints about the board’s decision.
Caught in the crossfire are performers like Jay Mochizuko, who also produces an annual Taiko program for Miller Theatre. He along with his Kaminari Taiko group have been performing at the festival for 10 years. His wife, Midori, has also performed classical Japanese dance at the festival for a decade. And while he’s not happy about the withdrawal of the grant, he also pointed out that MTAB funds other programs that are similar to the AA Festival.
“Being a performer, we don’t want to get into politics. When people get involved in arm wrestling with the city council and the mayor … I don’t know what kind of image that portrays. Is it positive? Is it negative?” said Mochizuko.
Festival supporters say the event is also a vital tool to keep younger generations tuned into their heritage.
“It makes the students strive to learn something about their cultures. We have to keep this going otherwise some of these customs will go away. You usually see these performances on TV, but we get the live thing. We have excellent talent,” said Watanabe.
But Beutel said it’s about change.
“Change is a hard thing. It’s particularly hard for an organization like this that has been here for a number of years. Miller has chosen to serve the citizens of Houston in a different way, by focusing on professional performances; our mission has changed. To say that we devalue or disrespect any culture is unfair,” he said, adding that HAAF officials are encouraged to reapply for a grant or rent out the facilities.
No matter the outcome, Joe said the festival will take place as scheduled at Miller Theatre even if she has to come up with the funding herself.
“Miller Theatre is the home of the Asian American Festival. It has seats for our old people, it has beautiful trees for our kids to play under, it has nice bathrooms not porta potties… it’s a public park. The Asian community deserves its space.”
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