Chinese New Year Festival spotlights culture
Those attending the Chinese New Year Festival (CNYF) this year will journey back in time to the Hong Dynasty to witness martial arts demonstrations, fan dances and a fashion show.
The Chinese Students Association (CSA) will present CNYF at 7:00 p.m. this Friday and Saturday in Edison Theatre. This Chinese New Year, which will actually occur a week after the performance, celebrates the year of the horse.
“CNYF is important so people are aware of other cultures, especially since there’s a good amount of Asians on campus,” said sophomore Pamela Lee, one of three program chairs for the performance.
Junior Doris Chan, a performer in the yo-yo dance, agreed.
“I want to promote what the Chinese culture is like,” said Chan. “We do that through the show, with our style, through our skits, singing and dancing-we show our culture.”
This year’s performance will follow a skit format, with the storyline leading into various song and dance acts. The story, “Ming’s Dynasty,” takes place during the Hong Dynasty, which lasted from 600-800 A.D.
The approximately fifty students acting in the show have been rehearsing since November. CSA solicited choreographers to teach students specific dance styles. Highlights include a plate dance, a handkerchief dance and three singing acts.
“Chinese New Year is very important in China. It’s the biggest holiday in Chinese culture,” said Lee. “This year we’ve done a lot more PR work because we’re trying to expand CNYF to make it a bigger, more exciting event on campus.”
To publicize the Chinese New Year, CSA held a Chinese film series on campus to offer a glimpse into the Asian culture. Additionally, after Saturday’s performance, the audience is invited to attend a dance party to further the festivities.
However, CSA cancelled its traditional fireworks display in light of stricter fire code regulations implemented after September 11.
Overall, students involved in CNYF want to open their doors to a diverse group of students to share their unique culture.
“Anybody who’s interested can learn. We want to make it more diverse,” said Chan. “Our whole point is to show WU and the community what Chinese culture is.”
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