Hands-on learning: Universal Creighton Charter School held its third annual Chinese New Year show on Feb. 23. Professional musicians and dancers, and dozens of pupils staged two auditorium performances to entertain Creighton’s 800 students. PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL CREIGHTON CHARTER SCHOOL
The Chinese New Year began with a bang at Universal Creighton Charter School, a very loud bang on a big drum in fact, followed by shrieks of delight from hundreds of rugrats and a fiery dance by a rambunctious lion with a bright red mane and menacing scowl.
In the year 4713 on the traditional lunar calendar, the Chinese will celebrate the ram, goat and sheep, but as in all years, driving away evil spirits will be priority one, thus the loud noises and foreboding dances.
“The lion, they sound loud so they scare the evil away,” explained Mrs. Van Tsang, a bilingual counselor at the Crescentville school and the producer of its third annual Chinese New Year show on Feb. 23.
Tsang, several professional musicians and dancers, along with dozens of pupils actually staged two auditorium performances to entertain Creighton’s 800 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It was the kind of learning experience that you’d think legendary music producer and Universal founder Kenny Gamble had in mind when he got into the business of school management.
“Children have to learn reading, writing, math and those things, but it is the background knowledge that distinguishes someone from being a smart person or a worldly person,” said Creighton Principal Wendy Baldwin.
To that end, the Chinese New Year is one of many extra-classroom experiences that the school has been offering lately. Last December, its holiday show had songs and dances from around the world, representing American, European, African and Asian traditions. This week, they plan to have a Black History Month celebration where pupils will sing, dance and recite poetry from African-American artists.
Music always seems to be a common thread, although it’s not always received well at first. One segment of last week’s show featured two professional musicians in a string duet. One played a traditional instrument known as an erhu. It resembles a long narrow guitar and is played on the lap with a bow. The second performer played an instrument of Mongolian origin known as the ma-ta-qin.
Their screechy harmonies didn’t resonate well with some of the young scholars, who cupped their ears, laughed aloud or conversed with their little friends. Baldwin promptly lectured them to respect diversity and the difference in all cultures.
“Music is very cultural and many cultures, many people, like different music,” the principal later said. “If you haven’t been exposed to a certain type of music, especially if it’s uniquely different, you may not be used to it.”
As a whole, however, the show seemed well received. Tsang started things off by having the youngsters recite some Chinese phrases. Then came the drum and gong show and two-man lion dance. Chinese New Year celebrations are also known for their dancing dragons, but those can typically have 20 dancers sharing a single costume. That would be much too long for the Creighton stage, Tsang explained. For a finale, the lion unfurled a gold-colored banner from its mouth like a long tongue. It read “Happy New Year” in English and Chinese.
Additional acts included the “little rabbit” dance by several of the school’s youngest learners. The girls wore bunny ears and tutus. Another dance, “the little white boat,” had seven girls in matching multi-colored dresses.
The show ended with a fashion parade when five students and a teacher strode through the aisles wearing traditional garb. One wore an empress gown and headpiece, while another showed a Vietnamese girl’s clothing. One boy had an emperor’s hat and ponytail, while another wore a skull-fitting cap in the style of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China.
“My youngest son performed a dance and a song. He was very excited to learn Chinese language, so I think it was a great experience,” said Johnovea Perkins, mother of three Creighton students and chair of the school’s advisory committee.
Asked why she organizes the celebration every year, Tsang’s answer was swift: “Because I’m Chinese and the Chinese-Americans need to know their culture,” she said. “And our school is diverse, so they need to know each other’s cultures.” ••
Hands-on learning: Universal Creighton Charter School held its third annual Chinese New Year show on Feb. 23. Professional musicians and dancers, and dozens of pupils staged two auditorium performances to entertain Creighton’s 800 students. PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL CREIGHTON CHARTER SCHOOL
Hands-on learning: Universal Creighton Charter School held its third annual Chinese New Year show on Feb. 23. Professional musicians and dancers, and dozens of pupils staged two auditorium performances to entertain Creighton’s 800 students. PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL CREIGHTON CHARTER SCHOOL
