We were happy to help celebrate the 2017 Lunar New Year Dragon Dance Parade organized by the Portland Chinatown History Foundation on Jan 29, 2017. The dragons started their performances at Old Town Chinatown at 11am and ended at the Oregon Historical Society around noon for the rest of the festivities with more performances and celebrations for the rest of the afternoon.
The Northwest Chinese Alliance presented two dances and two Chinese Erhu Music pieces by Dr. Jerry Lin. The dance performance was led by Ms. Xiaohong Lu performing the Northwest Chinese Alliance’s entries for the 2016 and 2017 Rose Festival Grand Floral Parades.
(1) Raindrops Pattering on Banana Leaves 雨打芭蕉
This dance shows that on a rainy day, at a place in Southern China, the raindrops are rhythmically pitter-pattering on banana leaves, a group of ladies are holding umbrellas, walking lithely and gracefully, dancing lightly and ripplingly, playing happily and joyfully in the rain. Their shoes are beating briskly on the beats of the music, and the silky umbrellas are dancing and flying over their heads. It is such a graceful and lovely dance, perfectly suited for our rainy Metro Portland Region.
Watch the video of the performance
(2) Lotuses in June 六月清荷
This beautiful silk fan dance was choreographed based on the well-known Chinese folk dance, Jiao Zhou Yang He (胶州秧歌) originated from Northern China more than 300 years ago. The dance incorporated with modern dance elements as well. The costumes are colorful and characteristic of the region which where the folk dance is set. The green color of the silk fans reflects the floating of the lotus leaves and the interior pink color silk reveals the blossoming lotus flowers that symbolize beauty and purity.
Watch the video of the performance
(3) Erhu Music by Dr. Jerry Lin
Dr. Lin is a long time resident of Portland and has been a life scientist in the biotech industry. Erhu is the most popular and recognizable instrument in China. Two pieces were performed.
(a) Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon – 彩云追月
Watch the video of the performance
(b) Red Flower Variations – 花儿为什么这样红
Watch the video of the performance
The audiences really appreciated and enjoyed the performances. We thank all our performers for taking their time from their busy schedule to help us celebrate Chinese New Year and showcase beautiful dance movements and music instruments.
