Brace yourselves, nerds, because May is bringing more than just flowers. We’ve got a super cosplay collaboration between two of the most extra presenters in Nerd Nite Asheville history, plus a peek into the sex lives of birds and the sequel to last year’s look at the Polynesian cultural references in Moana, this time showcasing Moana 2. And if the weather and Tavi’s knee cooperate, fire dancing! Allamaraine!
May 8th, 2025 doors 6pm, show 7pm at River Arts District Brewing Co.
Pre-sale tickets $10, door $15 (cash preferred, Venmo etc. available). Get your pre-sale tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/nerd-nite-asheville-may-2025
This month’s lineup:
Super Rob x Tavi
A Super Cosplay Collaboration
What happens when you combine a professional sign maker with an endlessly creative cosplayer? In Nerd Nite Asheville’s first presenter collaboration, you’ll see the whole process of a tag team cosplay collab between two of our most extra talents as they create a full body two-dimensional costume inspired by an 8-bit video game character. Tavi will take you through his process of creating the concept and design, along with with some mishaps and hijinks. Then Super Rob will take you behind the scenes of his fabrication process, including a look at some industrial printing and cutting machines. And finally, Rob and Tavi will finish the last piece of the costume live, and reveal the final result!
In a Nerd Nite Asheville first, we’re featuring two presenters: 30 year sign industry veteran Super Rob, and winner of the first annual Tavi Award for Doing the Absolute Most, Tavi! Both of these nerds are making a return after their previous epic presentations. Super Rob presented in February, 2025, on his signmaking process (and gifted us with those adorable mini-signs). Tavi presented for the first time in April, 2024, about his 3D printed rainbow Mandalorian cosplay. This will be Tavi’s fifth presentation with Nerd Nite Asheville, and his presentation later in this show will be his sixth! Find Super Rob at thesupersignguy.com and @thesupersignguy on IG. Find Tavi on IG @tavi.does.stuff and on Etsy selling his 3D printed nerdy wares at etsy.com/shop/TaviDoesStuff
Stephanie Kriston
Let’s Talk About Sex (in Birds)
Male Satin Bowerbirds build elaborate structures, decorate them with stolen items in their favorite color, and perform an elaborate song and dance, all in the hopes of attracting a mate. These behaviors are driven by sexual selection, and the Satin Bowerbird is a model species used to answer important questions in evolutionary biology, including: How does female choice drive evolution? What makes one male Satin Bowerbird more attractive than his neighbors? How does a field biologist measure sexiness in birds?
Stephanie is a former evolutionary biologist and current health policy wonk. After going to graduate school for evolutionary biology, she changed her mind about what she wanted to be when she grew up and embarked on a career helping medical device companies secure reimbursement for novel technologies. Stephanie moved to Asheville in 2020 and spends her free time playing ultimate frisbee, hanging out with her dog Sage, running, and playing complicated board games.
Tavi
Cultural References in Moana 2
One year ago, Tavi came to the conclusion that Moana was a solid representation of many Pacific Cultures. Will Moana 2 be able to carry on that trend? What cultures are represented across the ocean in Moana 2? What is that drink that they all have at the beginning? Is there an island in the center of the ocean where all cultures come together? Does the angry storm cloud have mythological meaning? All these questions and more will be answered through song and dance by Tavi! (Weather permitting, Tavi will give a Siva Afi fire performance after the show!)
Raised in Western North Carolina, Tavi didn’t learn of his Māori Heritage until he was 17, this led him to the decision to move to Hawaii to go to school as well learn of his culture. In 2015, Tavi started training, dancing and performing at the Polynesian Cultural Center. His extensive training included multiple Pacific Cultures such as Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand, the home of the Māori) and the Siva Afi (Samoan Fire Dance.) While performing at the PCC at night, Tavi attended Brigham Young University – Hawaii where he received a Degree in Mathematics and a minor in Pacific Island Studies. He now lives in Asheville, NC and continues to perform and train all over the South including; North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia under the name ‘NCFireknife’. He alsp volunteers his time during Asian American Pacific Island Heritage Month to present at various Public Schools and teach Students about Pacific Culture. Tavi will be performing the Siva Afi after the show at Nerd Nite!
With your host, Von
No mini feature this month because Tavi does the absolute most.
Von (they/them) is a local performer known for their radioactive style, political commentary, and inability to shut up about Star Trek. A lifelong nerd of both science and theater, they were an avid lover of Nerd Nite in Los Angeles before moving to Asheville and starting the local Nerd Nite Chapter.
Von claims this show for the Romulan Empire. (IG: @nerdniteAVL)