Theo Cope is a Dewey School fifth-grader and a staff member at Tiger Times, Dewey School’s student newspaper. The Tiger Times will publish a shorter version of this article in its spring issue.
By Theo Cope
The multipurpose room at Dewey Elementary School bustled with excited students, staff members and parents on Jan. 22 as fourth-and-fifth-grade students performed dragon dances in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
All the dragon dance performances were on one day this year due to a last-minute remote learning day due to cold weather. Two shows were during the day for students and one show was at night for families.
The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of a new year calendar year with months based on moon cycles. Family reunions, fireworks and lanterns are all ways of celebrating, as well as wearing red, to symbolize good luck. It is celebrated over fifteen days, from the first new moon to the first full moon. The holiday is commonly celebrated in countries such as China, Korea and Vietnam. This year it starts on Jan. 29.
2025 is the Year of the Snake. Each year correlates to different characteristics. The snake symbolizes wisdom, renewal and transformation. People that were born in the Year of the Snake are typically charismatic and intelligent.
Dewey students present Lunar New Year facts
Before the performances, students and dancers Yeori Kim, Emma Gu, Isabella Soriano and Sybil Zhang gave slideshows about the Lunar New Year. These included the story of the Beast Nian, a beast who attacked villages. With the power of teamwork, the villagers were able to rid the beast from their homes using fireworks, the color red and loud noises, which are now all the things celebrated on the Lunar New Year.
The dragon dances
Dancers performed routines on the stage doing eight different movements, led by the coaches to ensure smooth transitions and finishing. Two teams of dancers took turns amazing the audience with dazzling moves and teamwork. The showstopper was when they took the dragon into the audience, showing students an up-close view of the dragon.
There were five roles available to dragon dancers. The dragon itself, which was held by ten students, and a ball, whose purpose is to guide the dragon throughout the routine. Individual dancers included myself, Margaret Neill, Yeori Kim, Levi Lang, Elias Muckle, Mia Dionicio, Salomé Charry, Cora Foster, Lola Ilbawi and Brooke Walmesley. The students made music, including a drum and cymbal which were played by Clark Matthews and Sybil Zhang.
The coaches were Tamar Blits and Isaac Leung, a role offered to dancers who had experience the previous year.
“I think being able to coach makes me feel like I have more leadership and responsibility and that makes me feel really good,” Leung said. “Sometimes leadership can be too hard but I really like leading my group.”
Crafts, food and games
After the evening performances, families made their way to the gymnasium for food, crafts and games. The food included dumplings, mandarins, Chinese candies and milk tea, all of which are traditional treats on Lunar New Year. Crafts included woodblock prints, origami and sugar cane lollipop making. A photo booth was available with Lunar New Year clothes and signs. Jianzi, the Chinese alternative to hacky sack, was available to play as well.
Planning the celebration
Karen Barbour, a Dewey teacher, organized the event and welcomed the audience. She made a point of thanking Jose Munoz and the entire Dewey custodial crew for working so hard to set up the spaces for the events.
Carolyn Mattox, Dewey School art teacher, worked with students in kindergarten through third grades to create the artwork that lined the walls of the multipurpose room for the performances.
The Dewey PTA helped with financial and logistical support. This year the planning committee members were: Junjun Cao, Jessica Isaac, Dionna Leung, Jieda Li, Patrizia Muckle, Tien Shen, Xiaojing Sui, Sherry Wu, Lingzhou Yu, Sue Takaki, Cindy Rosario and Karen Barbour.
Junjun Cao, Sherry Wu, Tian Shen and Staci Davidson choreographed the dragon dance.
When asked what she liked best about the celebrations, dragon dancer Margaret Neill said, “I think my favorite part is being able to celebrate different cultures’ holidays.”
Lunar New Year celebration brings excitement to Dewey School community is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.