Thanks to our syzters for participating and/or coming to support the show and special thanks for Delta Chapter for coming out and supporting us! Also, good job Frances "Forte" Wang for putting together an amazing sold-out show! Order DVDs!
Here is an article that can sum this up better than I can haha:
By: Thanh Ngo
Staff Writer
For the Asian community, it was Christmas all over again. Except that red envelopes were given out instead of colorful presents and dumplings was served in place of baked ham. Holiday spirits filled the air of Strong Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 6th as the audience enjoyed the most exciting New Year celebration held by the Chinese Students’ Association: “China Nite 2010 – Year of the Tiger.”
The show began with the scene on an airplane and American pop music. A young girl, Miley ( played by Freshman Jennifer Chou) was on her way to visit Beijing, China. Sitting next to her was Di Pan (played by Sophomore Manuel Sangkwon Lim), a young Chinese guy who was also visiting the city. It turned out that, having grown up in American all her life, Miley has become too “Americanized” to appreciate her ethnicity. Di Pan, therefore, decided to take her around the city and showed her the ‘real’ China. Following the characters, the audience had the opportunity to experience what Chinese culture was about through various forms of performances incorporated within the story.
One of the lines said by the character was: “Dancing in every culture is an art. There are all sorts of different styles. In China, dancing is about creating harmony. Fans are a great way for us to create harmony, There is more to our great culture than just fans. Many times we can diversify with other things…” The statement was followed by convincing proofs - dances accompanied by these unique and representative objects ranging from long fans to handkerchiefs, umbrellas, and eye-catching costumes.
Through entertaining acts, the audience was introduced to origins of Lunar New Year, meanings behind the use of the color red and other interesting facts on subjects like Kung Fu or mahjong. Moreover, certain stereotypes toward certain Chinese values such as “Parents are cheap. People chew with their mouths open. They always fight for bills. And people obsess over some Zodiac fortune telling thingy, and Feng Shui” were unraveled to the audience in light-hearted and funny video clips.
As CSA Vice President Frances Wang has said “What we hope people get out of it is some new light and perspective on Chinese culture. Some people have never seen a fan dance or a lion head dance, and so China Nite is an opportunity for people to kind of get a sampling taste of different attributes of Chinese culture.”
However, we also wanted people to have fun and were not bored to death. From our perspectives as young college students, we blended in new aspects that reflect our generations. Modern musical elements were skillfully included in the show, without taking away the Chinese “feelings”. The audience was greatly entertained when the soothing jazz music and the ballet were combined with the popular Boom Boom Pow beats and hip-hop moves, choreographed by Sophomore Susana Ho and Moxi Zhou. Dancers Junior Jason Tan and 5th Year Ed Chung showed off their break-dancing techniques in multiple rounds of applause from the audience. The last performance, choreographed bySophomore Alexandria Xuechen Bao, with modern Chinese music and moves that no less attractive than those of Beyoncé - Single Ladies, left everyone awe.
“It was a phenomenal musical and visual feast with an entertaining touch of Chinese culture” said Freshman Christi Erba, one of the students who came to celebrate the night with us.
The big day is officially over, but it seems like the feelings still linger. When one comes across Facebook pictures, videos and statuses such as “Muran Zhu just realized that there are no more China Nite rehearsals”, there is a mutual feeling of emptiness. Music and moves no longer occupies the choreographers’ dreams and notebooks. Friday nights, Saturday mornings, Sunday afternoons on the dancers’ planners are now free of multiple practicing times. CSA Publicity Brian Ho now can spend more time on his Computer Science Project than on designing flyers and posters.
It was a long process that required tremendous amounts of team work and individual dedication. Anyone would remember the overwhelmed Frances Wang who seemed to have multiply herself to exist simultaneously everywhere: dressing rooms, backstage, Upper Strong, Lower Strong, or even on stage. Biology textbooks, Economics homework and laptops scattered around the auditoriums with the same frequencies of Starbucks cups and Chinese take-outs. Constant reminders such as “Frances. Breath!” and “Girls, don’t forget to smile” were given out to settle the butterflies before the performances.
For the people who were involved, nothing could be more rewarding than to know that everyone came to the show enjoyed it and looked forward for future events. Lunar New Year holds a significant meaning for us and it is our desire to share the excitements with as many people as possible.
With that said, I wish everyone an upcoming year full of joys and great fortunes.
Happy New Year!
Staff Writer
For the Asian community, it was Christmas all over again. Except that red envelopes were given out instead of colorful presents and dumplings was served in place of baked ham. Holiday spirits filled the air of Strong Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 6th as the audience enjoyed the most exciting New Year celebration held by the Chinese Students’ Association: “China Nite 2010 – Year of the Tiger.”
The show began with the scene on an airplane and American pop music. A young girl, Miley ( played by Freshman Jennifer Chou) was on her way to visit Beijing, China. Sitting next to her was Di Pan (played by Sophomore Manuel Sangkwon Lim), a young Chinese guy who was also visiting the city. It turned out that, having grown up in American all her life, Miley has become too “Americanized” to appreciate her ethnicity. Di Pan, therefore, decided to take her around the city and showed her the ‘real’ China. Following the characters, the audience had the opportunity to experience what Chinese culture was about through various forms of performances incorporated within the story.
One of the lines said by the character was: “Dancing in every culture is an art. There are all sorts of different styles. In China, dancing is about creating harmony. Fans are a great way for us to create harmony, There is more to our great culture than just fans. Many times we can diversify with other things…” The statement was followed by convincing proofs - dances accompanied by these unique and representative objects ranging from long fans to handkerchiefs, umbrellas, and eye-catching costumes.
Through entertaining acts, the audience was introduced to origins of Lunar New Year, meanings behind the use of the color red and other interesting facts on subjects like Kung Fu or mahjong. Moreover, certain stereotypes toward certain Chinese values such as “Parents are cheap. People chew with their mouths open. They always fight for bills. And people obsess over some Zodiac fortune telling thingy, and Feng Shui” were unraveled to the audience in light-hearted and funny video clips.
As CSA Vice President Frances Wang has said “What we hope people get out of it is some new light and perspective on Chinese culture. Some people have never seen a fan dance or a lion head dance, and so China Nite is an opportunity for people to kind of get a sampling taste of different attributes of Chinese culture.”
However, we also wanted people to have fun and were not bored to death. From our perspectives as young college students, we blended in new aspects that reflect our generations. Modern musical elements were skillfully included in the show, without taking away the Chinese “feelings”. The audience was greatly entertained when the soothing jazz music and the ballet were combined with the popular Boom Boom Pow beats and hip-hop moves, choreographed by Sophomore Susana Ho and Moxi Zhou. Dancers Junior Jason Tan and 5th Year Ed Chung showed off their break-dancing techniques in multiple rounds of applause from the audience. The last performance, choreographed bySophomore Alexandria Xuechen Bao, with modern Chinese music and moves that no less attractive than those of Beyoncé - Single Ladies, left everyone awe.
“It was a phenomenal musical and visual feast with an entertaining touch of Chinese culture” said Freshman Christi Erba, one of the students who came to celebrate the night with us.
The big day is officially over, but it seems like the feelings still linger. When one comes across Facebook pictures, videos and statuses such as “Muran Zhu just realized that there are no more China Nite rehearsals”, there is a mutual feeling of emptiness. Music and moves no longer occupies the choreographers’ dreams and notebooks. Friday nights, Saturday mornings, Sunday afternoons on the dancers’ planners are now free of multiple practicing times. CSA Publicity Brian Ho now can spend more time on his Computer Science Project than on designing flyers and posters.
It was a long process that required tremendous amounts of team work and individual dedication. Anyone would remember the overwhelmed Frances Wang who seemed to have multiply herself to exist simultaneously everywhere: dressing rooms, backstage, Upper Strong, Lower Strong, or even on stage. Biology textbooks, Economics homework and laptops scattered around the auditoriums with the same frequencies of Starbucks cups and Chinese take-outs. Constant reminders such as “Frances. Breath!” and “Girls, don’t forget to smile” were given out to settle the butterflies before the performances.
For the people who were involved, nothing could be more rewarding than to know that everyone came to the show enjoyed it and looked forward for future events. Lunar New Year holds a significant meaning for us and it is our desire to share the excitements with as many people as possible.
With that said, I wish everyone an upcoming year full of joys and great fortunes.
Happy New Year!
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