In honor of the year of the dragon, the Chinese Student and Scholar Association has made special efforts to embrace the 2012 Chinese New Year.
Because the dragon is a significant symbol in Chinese culture, this year’s celebration includes more traditional elements, said Qiannan Chen, president of CSSA and a junior studying communication studies.
“People will see things never shown in past Ohio University celebrations of the Chinese New Year,” Chen said.
In addition to a dragon dance and kung fu performances, a variety of traditional costumes also make their debut.
“All the costumes were specifically made with authentic satin in China months ago, and we brought them here with us,” said Yuxi Li, a junior studying video production.
Li will dance in three red costumes, imitations of Han dynasty garments, in Sunday’s performance. A poem written more than 2,000 years ago serves as the lyrics to accompany the dance, Li said.
The evening’s performances will incorporate modern Chinese music and popular movie songs as well.
Along with two Chinese emcees, two American students will also host Sunday’s show, both in Chinese and English. Several American students, professors and children from a local study group will take the stage as well.
“It’s so exciting,” said Debra Rentz, a professor in the School of Art, who will sing a Chinese song. “I feel I need more work in my Chinese, obviously.”
Yanbing Dong, a first-year graduate student studying piano performance, said she struggled to decide what she would play for her performance.
After a hesitation between the theme music from Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean, Dong decided to pick the latter.
“Hopefully, (it will) ring a bell with everyone,” Dong said.
Performers will present a short play about the lives of freshman international students at OU. The play will demonstrate the frustration of adapting to a new culture that many of these students feel. In order to appeal to the English-speaking audience, the play will be mostly in English.
“Although it’s for a Chinese festival, we tried our best to resonate with a broader audience from all cultural backgrounds,” Chen said.
sw454711@ohiou.edu
