A 23-year-old tradition at New Utrecht High School, the annual Lunar New Year Show, an event that turns out parents, students, and alumni, is more than just a once-a-year production.
According to Bilingual Guidance Counselor Yan Yu Lin, the show gives students a chance to connect with one another and form life-long friendships.
“The whole program is hosted by students,” said Lin about the February 27 show. “We had the traditional Lion Dance, and [other] traditional Chinese dances. The kids also do modern dance [and] we have teachers performing.”
According to Lin, students spend two months after school putting the show together. From “learning a dance” to “putting the whole show together from beginning to end,” Lin said the show helps to get the students “out of their shells.
“Most of the students are pretty shy and it gives them a chance to really connect with a group of students of the same culture,” said Lin. “The students become really good friends, they talk about the days that they were participating in the show, and we have students who graduated [now] bringing their families to the shows.”
The program took place in the auditorium at the 80th Street and 16th Avenue school, and was directed by Victor Liang, a teacher at the school. The show charged no admission fee but donations were welcome.
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