Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens celebrates Yearof the Ox on February 1st.

In Vancouver Chinatown, the Chinese New Year Festivities always take place on the first Sunday following Chinese New Year Day.

This year, Chinese New Year Day is on Monday, January 26th…. so on Sunday February 1st, come to Vancouver Chinatown.

One of my new favorite activities starting last year…. is to visit the Dr. Sun Yat Sen courtyard at the Chinese Cultural Centre because my friend Qiu Xia He of Silk Road Music is organizing a special Cultural Olympiad show for Chinese New Year.

Last year, I was fascinated by the show, which brought together many musicians and performers from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds: African, Japanese, Chinese, Latin, French-Canadian, and Celtic.  Oh my goodness… but her programming was a like fantastic dream team that I wish I could bring together for Gung Haggis Fat Choy.

But this year, we will be adding something new… a dragon dance by the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team!

Feb 1. 09 Sunday. Free public performances.
10:30-11:30 first show
12-1:30pm Chinese New Year Parade
1:30-3:30pm second show


Performers:
Qiu Xia He 何秋霞 – Silk Road Music Artistic Director and Chinese Pipa 
Andre Thibault –  Program assistant and Guitar, Oud and flute 
Jun Rong 戎峻 – Chinese Erhu
Jian Min Pan 潘建明 – Chinese Dizi
Pepe Danza – World instruments and percussion
Bonnie Soon and Uzume Taiko – Japanese drum and percussion
Feng Jun Wang 王君 – vocal
Willy Miles – vocal and bass guitar
Jan Walls 王健– Bilingual MC and Chinese Kuai Ban storyteller
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat Team
Still Moon Arts Stilt Dancers
Mt. Pleasant Neiboughood Happy Dancing Group
Jacky Essombe & The Makalas- African Dance
Jessica Jone 钟捷茜, Chengxin Wei 魏成新 and The Lorita Leung Chinese Dance Academy.
More details on the show in Chinese and English:
Check out the following from the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens website:

http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com/calendar/2007/2007_feb.htm

Chinese New Year
Celebration at the Garden
Sunday, February 1
10am-4pm, by donation

Join us as we celebrate the Year of the Ox!
On January 26, 2009 Chinese people around the world will celebrate a
new year, according to the Lunar calendar. Join us at the Garden for a
day of family fun and activities. We will have fortune telling, live
music, face painting, storytelling, red envelopes, pin wheel making,
stilt walkers, and more!
Enjoy a fabulous day of live entertainment and welcome the Year of the Ox!

A Celebration in the Courtyard
February 1st, 10:30-11:30am and 1:30-3:30pm

The
Garden is pleased to co-present the Chinese New Year Celebration in the
Courtyard as part of the 2009 Cultural Olympiad. The event is quickly
becoming a part of the Chinese New Year parade day celebration. Join
Silk Road and Friends as they sing, dance and play music under a big
tent and take part in the fun art and crafts projects available in the
small tents scattered around the Courtyard.

The
courtyard-fair atmosphere, coupled with the cross-cultural
performances, provide an opportunity for artists from Vancouver’s
different cultural backgrounds to display their creativity and
collaborate to create new sounds for a traditional festival. We invite
Vancouver to celebrate Chinese New Year with a world vision!

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