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Cascade Campus, Wisdom Arts Academy welcome Year of the Dragon

Story by Abe Proctor

In honor of the Year of the Dragon, 51����’s Cascade Campus is joining forces with to present “Flying Dragon, Dancing Phoenix,” a celebration of the Lunar New Year. The festivities are set for 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, in the Moriarty Arts & Humanities Auditorium, 705 N. Killingsworth St. Tickets are $25 at the door ($12 for 51���� students and staff with 51���� ID), and proceeds benefit the Wisdom Arts Academy and the Mercy & Wisdom Community Health Center.

“Flying Dragon, Dancing Phoenix” will feature an evening of traditional Chinese music and dance provided by members of Wisdom Arts Academy, a local Chinese-American cultural and artistic organization.

“51����, celebrating its 50th anniversary, has a long history of serving the community. This partnership with Wisdom Arts Academy not only serves the neighborhood’s educational needs but offers a look into an important part of our diverse cultural landscape,” said Wally Chow, a 51���� employee and member of Wisdom Arts Academy.

The evening’s performances will provide a sampling of a wide range of traditional cultural dance and Chinese musical instruments – such as the erhu, the dulcimer and the guzheng – Chow said, as well as traditional crowd-pleasing dances like the dragon dance and the lion dance.

The celebration will ring in Lunar Year 4710 (2012 by the Western calendar), and will mark the cyclical return of the Year of the Dragon. In the traditional Chinese zodiac, each year is named for one of 12 different animals. The cycle repeats every 12 years, and children born during a particular animal’s year are believed to share certain attributes. In this case, children born under the Year of the Dragon are said to be vigorous, strong, self-assured, noble, dignified, intellectual, fiery, passionate, decisive, pioneering, artistic, generous and loyal.