Some UF students celebrated the New Year last month with tipsy kisses and champagne, but a group in the Reitz Union rang it in with a lion dance and kung fu this weekend.
The Chinese American Student Association rang in the Year of the Dragon in the Grand Ballroom on Saturday night. Its "Awaken the Dragon" show celebrated the Chinese New Year, which lasts from from Jan. 23 to Feb. 9, 2013, according to the Chinese calendar.
The eight featured performances ranged from singing to skits and lion dances.
CASA President Angel Cheong estimated about 400 people attended.
The group hosts the event each year, said Jason Liu, CASA historian and 19-year-old sociology freshman. He said they market the celebration to all students, not just the organization's members.
"It's definitely good for people to learn how different cultures do things," said Michael Demaio, a 25-year-old philosophy junior.
Demaio said though he is not Chinese he is interested in the cultures of China, South Korea and Japan. He is a member of CASA and the Filipino Student Association.
The show brought cultural awareness to Gainesville, said Kevina Lee, a 21-year-old journalism junior and editor-in-chief of Sparks Magazine, an Asian-interest magazine at UF.
"It really shows we come together to bring cultural awareness to this campus," she said.
This is the year of the Black Water Dragon, according to the event brochure.
Members of the Gainesville Chinese School perform the Chinese yo-yo Saturday evening at the Chinese American Student Association's Chinese New Year show, "Awaken the Dragon."
