Festival in Manalapan to celebrate Asian culture

Manalapan Parks and Recreation announced an inaugural regional festival celebrating May as Asian Heritage Month.

The multifaceted event, “Dance with the Dragon,” will be held 1-5 p.m. May 6 at Manalapan High School, Church Lane.

The festival is the brainchild of the newly established Manalapan Mayor’s Arts Council and will be presented in two parts: cultural exhibitions from 1-3 p.m. and stage performances from 3-5 p.m.

Highlights will include the traditional dragon dance, lion dance, Chinese yo-yo, Indian and Chinese folk dances, a classical Chinese music ensemble, and tai chi. There will also be a traditional Chinese opera called “The Peony Pavilion,” and two award-winning opera singers, Jenny Jia and Ming Yuan Ho, will be featured.

The cultural exhibition booths will demonstrate Chinese opera face painting, Chinese brush painting, Japanese origami, Chinese paper cutting, Chinese knotting, and “Make a Chinese Name” bookmark. A hand-puppet group will perform excerpts from the folk tale “Journey to the West: The Monkey King” from 2-2:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.twp.manalapan.nj.us, or call Ivy at (732) 650-7466 or Shirley (732) 687-8527.