Laotian American Outreach (L.A.O.) is a Nashville, Tennessee based organization that aims to reach out to local communities, organizing and providing ways for Laotian Americans and others to come together & create a positive community force.  The 2nd annual L.A.O. Talent Showcase was held on November 1st, and is one of the many ways L.A.O. has reached out to the community.  A mix of local talents, mostly younger Laotian Americans, convened to share their gifts and talents in music, poetry, art, and dancing for a lively and entertaining evening in Nashville, Tennessee.

The evening showcase opened up with Abby’s Karma, a three-piece rock band that played a short set of rock tunes.

Drawings from a local artist were on display. Andru Amphonephong shared an original rap song about growing up in a past tainted with selling drugs, being in the wrong crowds, and his movement into being a reformed individual with visions of achieving his dreams and working on his college degree. 

The very stylish Steve Sada played covers like “It’s Too Late to Apologize” on the keyboard and briefly spoke to the audience about pursuing aspirations. In between acts, sponsors were recognized, videos of L.A.O. past events were shown, and prizes such as boxes of MaMa Instant Noodles & gift certificates were given away. 

As the night moved on, La Phimmachack from Chattanooga graced the Showcase with an acoustic & vocal performance.  A Spoken Word artist spoke melodically of his trials and tribulations.  Bryan Thao Worra visited via video with a reading of his encouraging piece “On a Stairway to Luang Prabang.”

A cousin duo performed Lao Lahm songs to which audience members formed a small LahmVong dance circle. Filipino friends Jonathan Camcam from Festival of the Nations and Sally Pledger shared a couple of uplifting and energetic Tagalog/English songs. The night ended with an energizing performance from “The First Family” that got the audience to really move as they learned the “Snap Crackle Pop” dance.

Can You Translate?

“Kita has the strength of 10 small men and a water buffalo”

One portion of the evening was dedicated to the exciting and hilarious crowd pleaser “Can You Translate?” competition. Members of the audience partook in orally translating an English phrase into a Lao phrase. 

The translations began with easy examples like the word “dog”, with difficulty level progressing to phrases such as “Where is the bathroom?” and “Pick me up from the airport on Thursday”, and moved on to ones of extreme complexity, such as being “as strong as a Water Buffalo” or “Sweater Collections”. As the phrases got harder and harder to translate, the amateur translators dropped out one by one until finally leaving behind a Master Translator. 

Friends & Relationships

In planning and fundraising, L.A.O. came into contact with several local business sponsors such as King Market & Your Choice Restaurant.  The National Association of Asian American Professionals and Festival of the Nations also contributed to the L.A.O. Talent Showcase.

Through the process of organizing events like the Talent Showcase, L.A.O. comes into contact with many new faces and people that are eager contribute in some way to the community. One of the goals of L.A.O. is to meet people and build healthy relationships with them.  A new relationship L.A.O. is excited to grow is with the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP). 

L.A.O. has several existing relationships with city organizations like Metro Parks & Scarrit Bennet, Festival of the Nations, and the Royal Lao Classical Dancers among others who’ve helped L.A.O. in its efforts to bring Lao Americans into the greater community to serve and be represented in a positive light.  In time, L.A.O. hopes to continually mature in Nashville, working with even more enthused people, implementing greater ideas and visions they have to make positive things happen!