(Reported by Christina Xiao))
On January 22, 2023, the New Year Day of the Year of Rabbit, CAAL organized a Spring Festival Gala in Lexington with Artisan Dance Academy (ADA), Lexington Korean American Organization (KOLex), New Legacy Cultural CenterLexington Historical Society and Town of Lexington, MA
The whole event kicked off in the form of traditional Asian temple fairs around 5pm. The fair was crowded with people and bustling with the sounds of cheering. The cross-cultural booth and the food street attracted many Asian and non-Asian residents. The temple fair was full of representative elements from various ethnic cultures, from Chinese food, hawthorn berry, traditional Korean New Year’s snacks, to cultural booths with art and crafts, as well as modern and historical costumes.
At around 6:30 p.m., the stage performance of the Festival Gala officially started. A group of lovely Kungfu girls and boys demonstrated Chinese martial arts, winning applause from the audience. Next, the Jade Rabbit appeared on the stage, and the dragon-dance practiced by town officials and leaders of each organizers came to the live stage.
The whole program was full of wonderful performances. The young dancers dance for love, for the new year, lighting up dreams, and warming the world. From the traditional Chinese lion dance, Peking Opera to the colonial dance of the 18th century in North America, all showing the heritage and charm of culture to the public. And that’s what the whole event is about.
It was great to have the community come together on Jan 22 to share the festivity and support a great cause. We are super grateful to the more than 200 performers and 200 volunteers at the Lunar New Year Gala.
The celebration continues and we look forward to having everyone on Feb. 5 at the Lantern Festival!
Please browse the gallery for more photos.
Here is the Gala recording and coverage by LexMedia
Here is the report of the Gala by the Boston Film Academy (BFA)