PHOTO:C.Z. and L.A.L.

by C.Z. Carlin and L.A. Landress

Feb. 21, 2002

Passage of time - from 4700 to 2002

As the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar, the lunar new year ushers in the year of the Black Horse. Starting on Feb. 12, 2002, the 15-day celebration of the year 4,700 is a time for both reflection and hope among the various Chinese communities in New York City.

Colorful dances, specialty treats, and the custom of exchanging red and gold envelope stuffed with money are part of the new year rituals transmitted by generations of U.S. immigrants. "At this time, we slam the door on demons of the past and we make wishes for a better future." said BeiBei Gu. Gu, once a principal dancer in the Shanghai Dance Drama Company, now directs the Dance School of the New York Chinese Cultural Center (NYCCC), a community organization based in Chinatown since 1973.

PHOTO: C.Z. Carlin Charles Tang plays the drum at the 17th Annual Lunar New Year Festival.

Recently, the NYCCC presented three sold-out shows of the Chinese Folk Dance Company at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center on Chambers Street, less than 10 blocks from Ground Zero. Acrobatics, shadow theater and scenes drawn from the Peking Opera tradition drew applause from an audience that included many Asian children and their parents.

In the world premiere of "Reflections on a New Year," a lone musician pounded a five-foot-wide drum echoing the taps heard at military memorials. Then, a corps of teenage girls paraded and swirled, unfolding red, white and blue ribbons. "We meant to show that we are both Americans and Chinese," said Amy Chin, the NYCCC's executive director.

For the past 17 years, Chin, a graduate of Barnard College, grew the NYCCC from a modest community association to a powerful cultural force, with, as its crown jewel, the only full-time Chinese professional dance school in the U.S.
"By interweaving the two cultures, we are embracing who we really are," said Chin, as the stage lights reflected on intricately carved stone necklace.

Loud cheers greeted the endearing performance of Andy, Winnie and Teresa, all three under 10 years old as they scurried around the stage in outfits that mirrored those of the adult dancers. Both girls were adopted as babies. As they scampered offstage, their two sets of parents rushed to hug them. Rose Murphy Salvatore left it to her daughter Teresa ("Tess") to share her story.

Down the street, in Chinatown, as spectators cheered the traditional lion dancers hidden behind their paper maché costumes, one resident shopkeeper commented: "We're trying to dance our way out of the bad luck of the past few months."

Helpful Links:
www.chinatown-online.com

Next: Passage to the Heart

Starts with a Gallop
Passage to the Heart
The Year of the Black Horse

For kids and grown-ups, gifts of money come in the traditional red envelope.