"Our mission is to recognize the show's history at NYU, reconnect community members, showcase fashion and performing talents and redefine the way in which Asian diversity can be portrayed through today's arts," Executive Producer Xinzi Liu said. "We hoped to inspire our audience members to rediscover and reawaken their overlooked or forgotten passions."

As the first major event of April, which is Asian Heritage Month, ACE set the standard for the shows to follow with a solid turnout of approximately 450 guests.

Eastern influences in the West were the inspiration for and driving idea behind the different looks on the runway and the musical performers. Student models wore designs with Chinese, Indian and Native American impressions as well as contemporary labels like RocaWear, Lacoste and Nicola Finetti.

"I saw a flow of ideas from past to present with the different looks, and the choreography made it fun to watch," CAS sophomore Darline Kim said.

Qing Yang, a Chinese children's performance art troupe captured audience attention with its brightly colored costumes as its members performed a rendition of the Peking Opera. This was countered later on by West Coast rappers Far East Movement, who got the crowd pumped up, sharing the runway with models in Calvin Klein swimwear as the rappers performed "Round Round," their hit song featured on "The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift."

"What stood out to me was the diversity in the performances," Producer Mandy Yeh said. "The show was a good representation of all the past months of preparation, and I hope that was shown through to the audience."

NYU's own all-male dance group, Pandemonium, carried on that energy with its Bhangra and hip-hop fused number, and the show concluded with a performance from alternative band Tim Be Told.

The show took a nostalgic turn when a host of ACU alumni, who were specially invited to celebrate ACE's quarter-of-a-century mark, were recognized. The first executive producer of ACE, Ande Leong, delivered a speech reminiscing the event's debut in 1986.

Through ticket and raffle sales, approximately $2,000 was raised for Project Sunshine, a nonprofit organization providing social, educational and recreational programs to children living with medical challenges.