There are three undying truths on this vast planet.  Regardless of country, century and culture; three things are the universal truths - love, money, and race.  The first, love is the easiest to 'fall in love with'- no pun intended.  Books have been written about it, songs have endured through the centuries because of it.  Money can be the easiest to hate but, the most desirous.  Money has pushed many of our fine humans to commit insane acts juts to obtain it.  For instance, fear factor, one of the best examples of the finest looking people and the group mentality brain range of a hummingbird.  Lastly, there is race which has built borders and burned bridges.  Race is the touchiest subject; globally, we preach about being diverse and being a global family and yet, we have bombings daily. We talk about being 'Technicolored' in this great diverse nation but, the truth is we only see two colors on American T.V. black and white. 

If there are more than 134 countries being represented in Queens, New York alone then I wonder, how many are there in the rest of this 'United States'.  Is there a representative out there who stands for those quiet hardworking immigrants, who come over with a $100 in their pockets and grind away to provide a future for their children? - The future that they never received.  Should those immigrants stand quietly and watch their children deny their heritage because it's 'uncool'?  The same kids who refuse to speak their parent's language, but can speak Ebonics fluently.

There is a small grass roots organization in the heart of Korea town in the city of Los Angeles.  I hesitate to say 'grass roots' because it has bloomed into one of the hottest local talent showcase for Asians.  Kollaboration is a representative to the immigrants who come to this country. A path for the children of immigrants to be American and not lose touch with the culture they where brought up in.  Kollaboration can be summed up in many words like, youth organization, talent showcase and so forth, but to see this organization is action - a clear picture can be immediately brought to mind.  Kollaboration is a bridge, the bridge that is made between the immigrant parent and child.  It is a bridge that fosters understanding for those who are standing over a vast river without life support.  Moreover, there are many youths in this nation who feel alienated and seek support.  Kollaboration nurses talent in these youths so that they can create without being confined to the set roles around them.  Experiments in hip-hop at Kollaboration, brings to the table an Asian perspective growing up without always having to wear a do rag. 

This is the stance against constricting values that are educated in us from childhood.  Kollaboration was begun 6 years ago by a group of young Asian Americans who wanted to have place where they could voice their talents.  Mainly Korean based, it is a talent showcase held once a year to nurture younger generations of Asian American youths to explore their talents without giving up their identities or losing hope in their dreams. 

Kollaboration 2005 was a gathering of past Kollaboration winners and guest stars.  In one way, it was an all-star concert but it also was a showcase of how Kollaboration has nurtured these artists in the past years. Almost everyone who went on stage was of Asian descent.  At first, the thoughts that were swirling in my head were; this is just a local youth showcase with little children playing the piano and doing tae kwon do.  To my fortunate mind, I was blown away, impressed and inspired from Kollaboration 2005.  It was raw talent, artists nurtured by their environment and bringing a new edge that most of the audience understood.  Rap was not just the nickel and dime variety - inspired by the culture they represent it was an anthem to the crowd. 

One of the highlights of the evening was Far East Movement.  Far East Movement is a rap group made up of three Asian guys whose rapping style evokes a bit of the Beast Boys and bygone 80's influences. The crowd roared, women screamed, and I realized at that moment Far East Movement wasn't about three Asian dudes rapping, it transcended race and became an appreciation of just good music.  It became about understanding the complexities of the lyrics and being able to relate to it.

Another favorite of the evening was Julie Park who took up a very complex song, Alicia Keys' 'If I Ain't Got You.'  She handled masterfully and had a vocal range that belied her image of a young woman.  If you only heard her voice, one would believe that she was a soul sister.  Her voice negotiated through the song without tripping up on the melody; mastering its highs and lows without losing her crisp command of the song.  Julie Park swayed the audience with her soulful voice, which held so much passion that one could here the yearning and desire in each note she breath into the microphone. 

Comedians were galore, but the infamous one of the night would have to be Shecky Wong.  He had people clapping their hands and stomping their feet.  Tears were running down the audiences eyes as he made impersonations of stereotypical Pilipino mothers.  An impressive Paul JiSung Kim used spoken word to throw out a message about not being bound by the rules of our society and to love ourselves. A powerful message that was a bit controversial over his dramatic point of view about women's abortion rights.  But, hey isn't that what spoken word is about - stirring your mind.

The Ken Oak Band is a trio consisted of two acoustic guitarists and a cellist, the namesake of the band with band mates Chris Ramos and Ed Gorski. The Ken Oak Band immediately impressed the audience with a unique edge - taking the cello out of its usual environment of an orchestra and using it to produce deep thundering rock music. The Ken Oak band may seem unassuming at first, but they have a strong stage presence, which is conveyed through their performance adding to their haunting lyrics and melody.

Unbalanced, a dance group burned the stage with their highly artistic form of breakdancing.  Entwined in a visual feast of different elements of dance techniques; they were smoothly combined to produce an explosive movement of dance that was at times more art than style.  Combining breakdancing with components of modern dance, unbalanced really astounded the audience. It has given a new edge to popping and breakdancing.  The cool demeanor and confidence of unbalanced heighten their dance choreography. 

All over the United States in music, we have Jay Z or Cold play, on TV. - the O.C. or BET. Trying not to generalize, but statistically 85% of the entertainment industry is represented by small group of individual who are either black or white.  Occasionally, we have comedians like Ray Romano, who pave the way for the Latino community and the Lucy Lui's who make a mark in the entertainment industry.  Yet, the way can be easily demolished and the mark that was made can be easily erased in the blink of an eye.  We still struggle with race issues and the politics behind the cameras don't help with race acceptance. 

Kollaboration is a movement apart from this politics and from directly from the Executive Director PK, 'Oh, man this (Kollaboration) is a lifetime thing!'  I truly hope this is a lifetime thing because it is a resting place for all those hungry youths who have no stage to release their creative outlet.  A memorable experience that will be carried on through other concerts with different talent groups; Kollaboration is the foundation giving these youths the unique opportunities and defining these artists as who they are, not as how America wants them to be.

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