Lunar New Year will light up Lincoln Center
Chinese students in the US will be taking the stage at Lincoln Center to celebrate the upcoming lunar New Year
Celebrity Chinese dancer and talk show host Jin Xing will be joining the students.
"Currently, the United States is the most favored destination for Chinese students to study abroad," said Li Mengyu, CEO of TF Media Group Inc, host of the gala, at a press conference on Tuesday in New York. "In 2015, there were nearly 300,000 Chinese students studying in the US."
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Li Kaidi, a Chinese student who graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design, demonstrates poses in the traditional Chinese dance that she will perform at the Lunar New Year gala at Lincoln Center. Hong Xiao / China Daily |
"TF Media organizes the 2016 North American University Lunar New Year Gala to enhance communication and interactivity among Chinese students and scholars in North America and to share the spirit of Chinese New Year," Li said.
"Chinese students from different universities in the US used to celebrate Lunar New Year separately," said John Lam, chairman of Lam Group, another co-organizer of the gala.
"This year, students who have talent in the arts are being called together to perform at Lincoln Center, one of the greatest stages in the world," Lam added.
"I believe the youths' performances will attract viewers from the world over, which will play a positive role in promoting Chinese culture to the world, enhancing mutual appreciation and understanding between different peoples," Lam added.
Wen Bo, who was stage director of Columbia University's acclaimed 2014 Lunar New Year Gala, will direct the gala.
Wen said that for the first time, a professional art crews will participate in the production's music and choreography.
Wen said he and his team were surprised at the high quality of the performances in the auditions. However, since the show had to be kept under two and a half hours, a lot of fabulous acts had to be left out or combined, Wen said.
The gala takes place at Lincoln Center's Geffen Hall on Jan 31 with nearly 30 performances in different genres to be performed.
Chinese students and scholars from Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, Cornell and 20 other universities in the US will be joining in the performance. American students and scholars who are fans of Chinese culture will offer audiences a special surprise at the show.
xiaohong@chinadailyusa.com
