For the crowd of more than 1,000 who gathered Sunday night in the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the new year was just beginning.
The annual Chinese New Year Show, which was organized by the Friendship Association of Chinese Students and Scholars, included 20 acts performed by UF students and Gainesville residents.
Although the Chinese New Year begins February 14, the show celebrated the fusion of Asian and American cultures, with a performance of break dancing and singing to Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face” and a traditional dance by students from the HuaGen Chinese School in Gainesville.
Before the program began, Consul General Gao Yanping from the Chinese embassy in Houston addressed the audience and, switching back and forth from Mandarin to English, spoke about this year’s Chinese zodiac sign, the tiger.
She said the tiger symbolizes strength, power, vitality and productiveness.
UF Vice President and Provost Joseph Glover took the stage after Yanping and talked about the significance of the night’s festivities for those far from home, specifically the estimated 600 Chinese students at UF.
“We have a great stew of student cultures [at UF],” Glover said. “And I know that even across the globe we can enrich each other.”
Correction: The Alligator initially described Consul General Gao Yanping as "he." The Consul General is a woman.
