CSA performs at New Year fest

Adults and children alike watched the graceful movements of a traditional dragon and lion dance put on by Tech's Chinese Student Association (CSA) at the Chinese New Year festival in Chamblee last Saturday. The festival was held Saturday and Sunday, though the actual New Year holiday began on Sunday and lasts fifteen days.

The CSA performs the dance annually at the Chinese Culture Center (CCC) off Buford Highway.

The lion dance came first; two students performed the dance underneath the colorful costume of the beast, one controlling the head and displaying the lion's emotions and the other hidden by the cloth body. The dancers stomped around the clearing and approached the crowd, all to the beat of a large drum.

At one point, the dancer controlling the head got onto the shoulders of the second, creating the illusion of a rearing lion. The dance concluded with the lion "eating" a head of lettuce, representing prosperity.

In the dragon dance, eleven dancers (each holding a pole connected to a segment of the dragon) chased a large ball attached to the end of a stick, held by another dancer.

The coordinated motion of the dancers caused the large dragon to sway from side to side and twist around the clearing. At one point the ball holder jumped over the "tail" of the dragon, leading the dancers back over themselves and inciting many "oohs" and "ahs" from the crowd.

At the end of the dance, the dragon caught up to the ball, and several people from the audience approached to place red envelopes containing offerings in the dragon's mouth.

"This year we're actually running at half the normal speed," said Kevin Hsiao, a '98 Tech graduate and former CSA member.

After the dance was performed, many an awe-struck child gathered around the dancers to be photographed with the dragon and lion.

"The lion represents prosperity, and the dragon is for luck.... The dance is to bring prosperity and luck to the people and so that they do well in their businesses. Teamwork is really important. The dragon has 11 sections and if everyone is not coordinated it will get tied up," said Roger Chiou, a CSA dancer.

The festival itself continued on inside the CCC building, decorated with ornamental kites and lanterns and containing a market with a huge selection of authentic Chinese food and crafts as well as other dancing and singing performances. Everywhere in the building, many people shopped, ate, listened and watched; the atmosphere was no less than a cultural beehive.

"This [festival] is a good insight for people who hear about Chinese this and Chinese that but don't know what a true representation of the culture is," Hsiao said.

The CSA has been performing at the festival for seven years, and plans on continuing to do so.

"This is a fun experience, and a great workout!" said Anita Chau, a dancer in the performance.