Fest marches to the beat of younger drummers.

Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

The Eisah Okinawa drum dancers might have been tailor-made for this year's Asian Celebration.

The University of Oregon students who comprise the Eisah troupe have blended contemporary music and costumes with traditional drumming and dancing for a performance that fits neatly with the festival theme - the Next GenerAsian.

Troupe founder Yuko Watanabe - a Japanese student studying economics at the UO - created Eisah almost two years ago, partly to chase away boredom (let's face it, Eugene lacks the exciting nightlife of her hometown Tokyo), partly to connect with other Japanese students and partly to get some regular exercise.

It began informally enough with 10 or so students, and not just Japanese students. Koreans, Taiwanese and even Americans turned up to learn the steps.

Watanabe had seen the dance, a tradition on the island of Okinawa, and with help from a video, the group began learning. Since their early, informal days, they become more practiced, performing on campus and at various local celebra- tions.

Their highlight was presenting a halftime show during an Oregon men's basketball game last year at McArthur Court.

"There's a lot of jumps and lots of kicks," Watanabe said. "It's energetic and really exciting."

The troupe is one of dozens of performers on hand for the celebration, which begins Saturday and runs through Sunday at the Lane Events Center.

Attendance exceeds 25,000

The festival, in its 21st year, has become an institution, so much so that representatives of Portland's Asian community have come to the festival's organizers for advice on improving their own event, celebration Chairman David Tam said.

Chalk it up to the spirit of cooperation among Lane County's Asian-Americans, regardless of the diversity of their cultural heritage, Tam said. On Eugene's Asian Council, which helps organize the festival, 13 different countries of origin are represented.

"We all really work together, help each other and just get along really well," he said. As proof, the myriad offerings at the festival will include Japanese drummers, Indonesian dancers, Filipino singers, Nepalese musicians and Chinese martial artists.

The mix continues to be popular in Eugene. Last year, the celebration attracted its largest crowd ever: 25,000 people.

This year, organizers hope the variety of options with draw just as many visitors, with a mix of contemporary and traditional offerings.

For film buffs, the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival running in conjunction with the celebration presents lead- ing-edge work. Several of its films already have been well received on the international festival circuit.

For those who enjoyed last year's mini-sumo robot wrestling tournament, the event is back under the direction of self-professed geek Larry Raines.

Raines, an engineer with scanner manufacturer PSC, works with students at North Eugene High to create small robots that can do two things: Find another robot and push it outside a marked circle.

"The challenge is be smarter than the next guy," Raines said, "writing your software to outsmart your opponent."

The electronic gizmos don't actually look like their sumo wrestler namesakes. Instead, they're small, boxy devices on wheels.

Raines also will be conducting workshops on creating the robots. And while it does require some technical skill, it's not all that difficult, he said.

"You don't have to know that much. If you can program your VCR, you're halfway there."

More food booths and vendors

Because children traditionally make up such a large part of the crowd, there will be a youth room with plenty of hands-on activities: martial arts, calligraphy, hula dancing, origami and a variety of games.

Ongoing demonstrations of arts and crafts will be available for adults - everything from papermaking to sushi preparation. But the big attractions will unfold on the main stage, where they'll run nonstop for two days.

Balinese dancers will demonstrate the stylized forms that feature gold leaf costumes and elaborate headdresses. Bulan- trisna Djelantick, a master of the art form who has performed throughout the world, will showcase routines that date back 200 years.

Chinese lion dancers will weave their popular magic. Korean drummers will demonstrate their skills.

Variety is the spice this year, with the number of food booths up from last year's 12 to 19 and the number of vendors increasing from 80 to 90, Tam said.

"It's unique," he said. "It's family fun and it's diverse.

`How many chances to do you have to go to an event where so many Asian communities are all represented in one place?"

Susan Palmer can be reached at 338-2571, or e-mail spalmer@ guardnet.com.

ASIAN CELEBRATION HIGHLIGHTS

Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Lane Events Center, 796 W. 13th Ave.

Chinese Lion Dancers: 10:15 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, main stage

Eisah: Okinawan drum dance, 2:35 p.m. Saturday, main stage

Balinese dances: 2 p.m. and 2:55 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, main stage

Mini-sumo robot competition: 3 p.m. Saturday, atrium stage

Percussion ensemble with puppets: Gamelan Sari Pandhawa, 11:15 a.m. Sunday, main stage

Hip-hop music: Hanif Michael Panni and Default, noon Sunday, main stage

Anime art workshop: with Marianne Walker, 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Meeting Room 4

Ongoing demonstrations: Making Asian oils and vinegars, Japanese style papermaking, Hawaiian applique, martial arts, sushi showcase

Admission: $3 for adults, children 12 and younger free.

Complete schedule: Available at the door and online at www.aaforegon.com /asiancelebration

CAPTION(S):

Eisah, university students who have updated the Okinawan drum dance, will perform on the main stage at 2:35 p.m. Saturday.