CCTV new year gala contest in USA

A young girl in New York performs in a competition in June 2014, which is aimed at soliciting good programs for the next Chinese New Year Gala organized by China Central Television. [Photo: Weibo.com]

Although the Chinese New Year is still months away, overseas Chinese in the United States have been busy preparing for the annual New Year's Gala.

And for the first time, China Central Television will include overseas Chinese performances in its upcoming gala event.

From ballet to Chinese folk dance and from talk show to a witty skit, not mention singing and piano playing, this event looks just like a New Year gala, despite the fact that there are no super stars present being replaced by common residents in Washington D.C.

The event is actually a competition held by the Central China Television to solicit good programs for the next Chinese New Year Gala, which has been a long lasting must see tradition for millions of Chinese families on New Year's Eve.

And this is the first time the most popular and focused event looks for talents beyond the country.

In the Washington division, twenty programs have been through the first round of auditions, which were held on the internet.

Competitors submitted their videos online and let the netizens be the judges.

A beam of light shines on a young Chinese girl in a light blue traditional dress.

In the background of the stage, there are three African drummers standing still with their drums in front of them.

Just as people are enjoying the smooth and soft Chinese folk dancing, suddenly, the music pauses and turns into one of a passionate African rhythm.

The moves of the dancer become drastic and quick to match the drumbeats.

At that moment, the performance just became boundless in culture.

African-American artist Kwame Opare is one of the drummers behind the dancer.

"It was a great opportunity. It's good to be able to do cross cultural things so that we all got a better understand of each other's cultures and especially to the art forms. So it was a true honor to be a part of this and I'm looking forward to the next event."

In addition to cross-cultural expressions, many programs also focus on the daily lives of overseas Chinese.

Competitors tell their stories living in the US through talk shows or witty skits.

The organizer Lilian Wang believes the talent hunt is a good opportunity to let more Americans know about the Chinese New Year Gala and maybe become interested in Chinese culture.

"Many Americans know nothing about the Chinese New Year Gala before, well, through this competition, we released many information on the internet and then more people get to know about it. Many thought it's interesting and participated in the event. We want to spread the essence of Chinese culture through this event and on the other hand, to enrich the community life of the overseas Chinese here."

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