by Sean Ruppert, Staff Writer
East meets West today (Thursday) at the South Brunswick Senior Center.
The Chinese Yuan Yuan Group will be staging a cultural arts show featuring traditional dance, singing and instruments from 12:30 through 1:30 p.m.
The group’s name means “opportunity for fellowship,” according to its founder Andy Mao, 73, of Lawrenceville. It is comprised mostly of retired Asian-Americans in the Mercer County area, and will feature about 20 people in its performance.
”We all came from different parts of China, and met in this part of the world,” Mr. Mao said. “We think it is kind of like fate.”
The show will feature a traditional lion dance, where two performers will dress as lions. Mr. Mao said this is typically used to celebrate holidays or an accomplishment, like the opening of a new business.
The group will also give demonstrations of tai chi exercises, sing several traditional songs, and play music on a guzheng. The guzheng as an ancient instrument that dates back about 2,500 years, according to Mr. Mao. Similar to a zither, the guzheng has over 20 strings that can either be nylon or steel, and a wooden sound box, Mr. Mao said.
The event will also feature several folk dances, including a tea harvest dance, traditional in Taiwan.
Mr. Mao, a retired chemical engineer, said he formed the group several years ago when members of the Lawrenceville Senior Center requested that he organize a performance for the Chinese New Year. He said the group has since grown and now does performances at other centers to help promote cultural diversity and Chinese heritage.
For more information call the senior center at 732-329-4000 ext. 7670. The free event is open to all South Brunswick seniors 55-years-old and older.