Dozens of people flocked to Revera Sunwood on Jan. 21 to delight in traditional Chinese fan dances in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
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For nearly an hour, professional dance performer Jessica Yue entertained the audience, which was largely comprised of elderly residents of the Maple Ridge retirement home.
Tara Brandolini, community relations manager at Revera Sunwood, explained that the event was as much about education as it was about celebration.
“We are trying to bring awareness to the fact that our community is very multi-cultural,” said Brandolini.
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The Chinese New Year event started off with Yue explaining to the audience what the holiday signified and how Chinese individuals typically honour and celebrate the occasion.
She then moved on to the dancing portion of the afternoon, which included several performances with various fans and other traditional Chinese props.
Brandolini said that Revera Sunwood received overwhelmingly positive feedback from its senior residents that attended the performance, which she explained was “a large chunk” of the building, as well as the 12-15 people from outside the facility that also showed up.
“They were impressed not only by how beautiful the dancing was, but also by the fact that she [Yue] took the time to educate them about Chinese culture,” said Brandolini.
After the performance had concluded, there was an authentic Chinese feast, which included dishes like chicken fried rice, chow mein, and fortune cookies.
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