Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year Festival returns to Edison Theatre Feb. 8 and 9. In addition to the Vietnamese lotus dance, the annual show will feature the Chinese fan, Korean standing drums and Philippine tinikling.

For China’s Dai minority, the peacock is a symbol of both grace and power. That’s why choreographer Kristine Xu chose a traditional Dai peacock dance for this year’s Lunar New Year Festival, which will take place Feb. 2 and 3 in Edison Theatre.

Washington University in St. Louis senior and yo-yo choreographer Kevin Wu has pulled together a team of novices to perform Chinese yo-yo at Lunar New Year this weekend at Edison Theatre. He says passion matters more than proficiency.

Traditional Chinese sword dancing debuts this weekend at the annual Lunar New Year Festival at Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. “The swords only look dangerous,” says junior Sarah Lin, noting the dance’s combination of grace and power.

​Watch as Washington University in St. Louis students rehearse a Phillipine dance form called tinikling, one of more than a dozen performances scheduled for this year’s Lunar New Year Festival Jan. 30-31. More than 160 students will perform in the annual celebration of Asian art forms and traditions. ​

Lunar New Year festivities kicked off on campus last weekend with fireworks at Mudd Field. Celebrations continue this weekend, when the annual Lunar New Year Festival offers a student showcase of Asian dance and music.

WUSTL ushered in the Lunar New Year with a fireworks show Jan. 22 in Mudd Field. The Lunar New Year — observed this year Jan. 23 — is one of the most important traditional Asian holidays. Prior to the fireworks show, students enjoyed food, origami, calligraphy, information booths and performances in Tisch Commons. The celebration continues this weekend with two high-spirited performances at 7 p.m. Jan. 27 and 28 in Edison Theatre.

Student groups at Washington University in St. Louis will usher in the Year of the Dragon and celebrate one of Asia’s most important holidays — Lunar New Year — beginning with a fireworks show Sunday, Jan. 22, and concluding with a two-night, high-spirited performance Jan. 27-28 in Edison Theatre. Events are open to the public. Benefit proceeds will help support victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the northeastern region of Japan.