A hush fell over the dark theater at Elk Grove High School on the night of Feb. 2. After seeing several phenomenal student performances, the audience awaited the final act of the D214 Celebration of Asian American & Pacific Islander Lunar New Year 2024 event. Suddenly, a bright yellow light illuminated the stage, revealing four students playing loud drums and cymbals.
Then, from the back of the theater came the big surprise: a giant Chinese lion costume, fluffy and red with ornate gold, yellow, and white embroidery, pranced down the leftmost aisle of the theater, flapping its eyebrows, standing up taller, and swaying from side to side as it did so. After snaking back up the middle aisle and back down the right aisle, the massive lion came onstage, where it continued its wild and elegant dance to the heart-pounding beat of the drums and cymbals.
Theater performances, such as the lion dance, were just part of the Lunar New Year celebration hosted by Elk Grove. In the cafeteria, volunteers served foods from a variety of Asian cultures, including Korean sushi, Vietnamese spring rolls, Korean Japchae noodles, Filipino pancit noodles, fried Indian samosas, vegetable pad Thai, and much more. Guests could also partake in games crafts enjoyed by many Asian children, such as Korean jacks, Indian karom, and origami.
For Jennifer Aguilar-Iannotti, one of the sponsors of Elk Grove High School’s Asian Student Association (ASA), the event was especially unique. She says that every school in the D214 has an ASA this year, and this is the first District-wide celebration of Asian student cultures.
“My favorite part [of the event] is just seeing everybody dressed up in their traditional outfits and the excitement to learn about their own cultures and different cultures at the same time,” Aguilar-Iannotti said. “And everybody loves the food…I just hope that each school gets the chance to host this and we get to see all the different fun things that kids and students come up with to celebrate this occasion.”
According to Aguilar-Iannotti, Lunar New Year is celebrated by over 1.5 million people globally, making it a major holiday across many Asian cultures, not just China. In China, Lunar New Year lasts for 15 days and coincides with the phases of the Moon. For this reason, it is celebrated on different dates from year to year.
With Lunar New Year being as widespread as it is, different Asian countries celebrate it in a myriad of different ways, many of which were showcased at the event. One popular way to observe Lunar New Year is through traditional ethnic dances. According to Elk Grove sophomore Anushka Patel, Indians do a dance called Garba on nine consecutive nights during India’s Lunar New Year. Patel was born in the west Indian state of Gujarat and first came to the United States when she was in kindergarten.
Along with five other Elk Grove students, Patel performed a Garba dance in the theater during the Lunar New Year event. Patel says that traditional Garba dance starts out slow, with slow steps and slow- paced music. Towards the end, the rhythm is very fast, and the dancers must keep their steps along with the music despite being tired. Patel enjoyed the opportunity to perform for everyone at the event.
“I love [performing at this event],” Patel said. “I think it’s really showcasing where I’m from and the type of dance that we do. I really like how we’re sharing it with the rest of the District today.”
The evening heralded many other musical performances. Prospect students performed a Filipino dance called “Tinikling”, in which performers step in and out of two poles that are rhythmically clapped together and moved apart, and the audience is encouraged to clap along to the beat. Buffalo Grove High School showcased Korean drumming called “Soribeat”, Wheeling High School displayed an Indian dance called Bharatanatyam, and Rolling Meadows High School put on a K-pop dance.
With all forms of entertainment and cultural immersion at the event, Aguilar-Iannotti recognizes that it is the culmination of many peoples’ hard work and care.
“I don’t think this event is possible without all the contributions by all the other ASA sponsors and ASA students,”Aguilar-Iannotti said. “And I know this wouldn’t be possible without the help of our custodians and our administrators to actually help support these great events. So, we’re excited.”
