A spectacular New Year gala for CUC International students to welcome the year of 2018 is held at CUC Lecture Hall on Dec 21, 2017（Photo by Zhou Keli）
Though temperature was well below zero last week, Thursday night at CUC Lecture Hall was vibrant and heartwarming. Jointly organized by School of International Education and Students International Exchange Association (SIEA), with 19 performances, involving students from all around the world, the 2018 New Year Gala was a wonderful visual and auditory carnival.
According to an organizer from SIEA, Wang Shuhan, planners spent nearly a month to turn the 2018 New Year Gala from a draft idea to reality. This year, they aimed to create an amusing and warm atmosphere where students, who are away from their home countries, could feel home at this particular time of the year. There was no specific requirement on artists. Students were simply encouraged to go on stage to show their talents and, most important of all, to have fun.
The New Year Gala was more than just an end-of-the-year amusement. Numerous hints of Chinese elements were blended into particular performances. For instance, a dance entitled “Fei Tian” (Flying Sky). Fei Tian is a goddess from ancient legends. The dancer used long colorful ribbons to symbolize flying pose, creating a combination of ancient and modern, east and west, power and beauty. Chinese students contributed as well: a Kuai Ban performance was given by CUC student Su Zhen, and a Chinese Wushu show was peroformed by students of CUC Martial Arts Club.
A dance entitled “Fei Tian” (Flying Sky) preformed by Fang Shuyu from Nigeria
Kuai Ban, a kind of tradictional Chinese folk arts preformed by CUC student Su Zhen
Chinese Wushu performances at New Year Gala showcase the beauty and power of traditional Chinese martial arts
Some students chose to go on stage and give the audience a glimpse to their home countries. For example, a song about Pakistan called “Jazba-E-Junoon” and a song about Ecuador called “I love you, my country”. The 2018 New Year Gala hosted a Hawaiian ukulele performance as well.
“Jazba-E-Junoon” preformed by a pakistan student
A dance preformed by indonesian student
Hawaiian ukulele performance
Paso Doble by Wang Shuhan, who's also the planner of the gala
It is common for university students to miss their home at this time of year. At the New Year Gala students had an opportunity to speak out about their love for their hometowns so as to fight homesickness. Because not allstudents can go home for the New Year, they all brought enjoyable cultural elements of their home countries to CUC and shared with the audience.
The 2018 New Year Gala ended as usual, with everyone, including audience, having fun and taking memorial photos on stage. This year, the audience was taught a simple dance move and was welcomed to join the dancers during a performance by foreign students from African continent.
Editor: Wu Jingye
