The 5th Annual Asian Heritage Festival Searches for Iowa's Next SensAsian
Chicago-based music group IBU slated as guest judges

Des Moines, Iowa (April 17, 2007)—Are you the Next SensAsian? The 5th Annual Asian Heritage Festival talent contest is looking for Asian performers and/or performances that have an Asian influence. The talent contest winner will be featured at the 5th Annual Asian Heritage Festival, held on Saturday, May 12, 2007, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Water Works Park , Des Moines , Iowa.

Performers have a chance at the Next SensAsian preliminary round, held on Saturday, April 21, 2007, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at AK O'Connors, 3530 Westown Parkway , West Des Moines , Iowa . Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. The top ten finalists will move on to compete at the 5th Annual Asian Heritage Festival and judged by Chicago-based music group IBU. IBU was the first Asian American group to be voted Best R&B Group at the New York International Music Festival in Manhattan and was MTV 2's Rising Artist of the Month for December 2006.

The winner will:
    take home $500;
    open for the Festival's national headliners: Lil Jordan, IBU, and Exit Clov;
    perform at the 2007 AdmirAsian Achievement Awards on October 13, 2007;
    and earn the title of Iowa 's Next SensAsian.

"The Next SensAsian talent show will be the perfect venue for Asian performers in Iowa and others who have been influenced by the Asian culture to showoff their skills and possibly win $500 along the way," said Pathana Southammavong, Entertainment Committee Member of the 5th Annual Asian Heritage Festival. "It's also a great way to showcase how the Asian culture has influenced mainstream Iowa."

The 5th Annual Asian Heritage Festival is an Iowa Asian Alliance event co-hosted Polk County Board of Supervisors, Toyota of Des Moines, and Terrible's Casino. Other leading sponsors include Citigroup, Des Moines Register, Lite 104.1 FM, American Family Insurance, Atlas Group, BRAVO Greater Des Moines, Coldwell Banker, John Deere, Nationwide, Principal Financial Group, and Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Interested participants for the Next SensAsian can visit www.celebrAsian.org and contact Don Southammavong at entertainment@celebrasian.org or (515) 697-7795.

Press Contact:
Kim Poam Logan
Iowa Asian Alliance
Office: (515) 273-5100
Cell: (515) 491-9378
klpoam@iowaasianalliance.com