Although occasionally bothered by the snap, crackle and pop of faulty audiovisual equipment, students filled Edison Theater on both Friday and Saturday night to experience the cultural celebration of the Chinese New Year Festival (CNYF). The Chinese Students’ Association treated the audience to fashion, music, dancing, and even some martial arts.
In response to a successful turnout last year, this year’s festival expanded from a matinee and evening show in the same day to include two evening shows. This is also only the second year that CNYF has been held in Edison.
The show opened with a video of students and staff from different cultural backgrounds wishing the audience a happy Chinese New Year. Four emcees ran the show and kept the audience laughing in between performances. In fact, the audience even got a view of Pankaj Sharma in his polka dotted underwear.
However, Punkaj’s underwear was not the main attraction. The show included an array of art forms that stem from the Chinese culture. A number of dances, songs, and fashion shows allowed audiences to experience the many traditions of the Chinese New Year.
Unfortunately, there were a number of technical difficulties. The sound from the speakers was fuzzy throughout the show, and many of the videos that they attempted to show came up as blue and black screens.
Junior Tim Weil, a presenter at CNYF, said, “the technical difficulties were a disappointment for the cast, but it made for an impromptu show. By joking about the lack of sound or video we got a few laughs out of the audience.” He went on to say that he hopes that people were able to look past the tech problems and enjoy the performances themselves.
When asked what students liked best about CNYF 2001, Ruth White, a junior, said, “I
really enjoyed the variation in costuming and the intent to present the culture while keeping the show up to date with modern times.” She noticed that while many women wore the traditional Chinese dress, called the “chepo,” they also had a modern fashion show with clothes worn in the 20th century.
While the colorful display made it easy for audience members to focus on the performances and the costumes, the purpose of the show goes beyond the physical.
Gloria Lin, CNYF co-coordinator, explained that “we all feel a calling to do our best to portray the Chinese culture and teach the Washington University and St. Louis communities about it through CNYF.”
While the overall purpose of the show is to portray the Chinese culture, the festival encouraged students from all different backgrounds to join in the celebration.
Sophomore Stacy Nadler said, “The festival had a very welcoming atmosphere, and it really does bring more cultural awareness to WU.”

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