Backstage Pass with Lia Chang

Fred Korematsu Becomes First Asian American in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Civil Rights Exhibition

Lia Chang — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:58:03 +0000

On February 2, civil rights icon Fred T. Korematsu will become the first Asian American featured in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery permanent exhibition, “The Struggle for Justice.” Two 1940s-era original photographs of Korematsu will be presented on February 2 at 9:30 a.m. at the Portrait Gallery, Eighth and G Streets, NW in Washington, D.C.,in a private event featuring speakers including the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta. The photographs will be available for public view when the museum opens at 11:30 a.m.

Kathryn and Fred Korematsu sit in a bench dedicated to JFK Jr. in a courtyard adjacent to the NYU Law School Auditorium in April, 2000. Photo by Lia Chang

The event takes place just three days after the second annual Fred Korematsu Day, an official day of special significance passed in the state of California in 2010. Celebrated every January 30, on Korematsu’s birthday, Fred Korematsu Day is the first day in U.S. history named after an Asian American.

The National Portrait Gallery’s “The Struggle for Justice” exhibition opened in 2010 and features many images of individuals who have worked on behalf of civil rights, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Eunice Kennedy Shriver and César Chávez. The museum, which drew in one million visitors last year, is the first museum not specifically focused on the Japanese American experience to include Mr. Korematsu’s story. To date, the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, CA, the Manzanar Interpretive Center in Independence, CA, and the Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center in Powell, WY all feature Mr. Korematsu in their exhibits.

“The Struggle for Justice” is a growing exhibition that will continue to evolve,” said Martin Sullivan, director of the National Portrait Gallery. “I am proud to include Fred Korematsu in this exhibition and to continue to tell his story alongside those who have worked on behalf of those who are striving for equality and inclusion.”

In 1942, Korematsu was a 23-year-old welder in Oakland, California who defied military orders to incarcerate 120,000 innocent Japanese Americans. After he was arrested and convicted of defying the order, he appealed his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1944 upheld his conviction on the grounds that the internment was justified due to military necessity. That decision has been widely condemned as one of the darkest chapters in American legal history.

After four decades of living with a disloyalty conviction on his record, Korematsu and a team of pro-bono attorneys re-opened his case, arguing that WWII government lawyers had hidden key documents contradicting their claim of military necessity from the Supreme Court. In 1983, a federal court in San Francisco overturned Korematsu’s conviction. Korematsu went on to champion the cause of civil liberties, not only seeking redress for Japanese Americans who were wrongfully incarcerated, but also traveling the country to advocate for the civil rights of other victims of repressive government action. After 9/11, he co-authored friend-of-the-court briefs on behalf of Muslim Americans being held without trial in U.S. military prisons. He passed away in 2005 at the age of 86.

Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Eighth and G Streets, NW
Washington, D.C.

Other Fred Korematsu Day events:
There are 16 Fred Korematsu Day public events taking place this year in California, Washington, DC and Hawaii. For more information, visit:
http://korematsuinstitute.org/fredkorematsuday/fred-korematsu-day-events/

The Korematsu Institute ships free teaching kits to classrooms around the country. The Institute can put reporters in touch with teachers in various cities who are planning to teach the Korematsu story to their students on January 30 or the surrounding days.

# # #

The Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education (www.korematsuinstitute.org), a program of the Asian Law Caucus, is dedicated to advancing pan-ethnic civil rights and human rights through education.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Reverend Jesse Jackson & Beau Sia slated for 1st Annual Fred Korematsu Day Celebration at UC Berkeley
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Signs Fred Korematsu Day Bill, Bill Establishes January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution
Making the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution Bill a Reality
Fred Korematsu, American Hero and Civil Rights Activist Dies at 86
Multimedia: AALDEF Celebrates 35 Years of Protecting and Promoting the Civil Rights of Asian Americans
AALDEF Honors Dale Minami, Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl Wudunn and Sandra Leung with 2009 Justice in Action Awards
Remembering Civil Rights Leader Gordon Hirabayashi,1918- 2012
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
DTC’s Production Photos of Giant featuring Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin,P.J. Griffith, Dee Hoty, Raul Aranas & Katie Thompson
Photos: Maya Lin, BD Wong, David Henry Hwang, Yeohlee, Christopher Yahng, Oscar L. Tang and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at MOCA Legacy Awards Gala
Portraits of New York Chinatown After 9/11 Featured in “Post 9/11”: Commemorative Display at Library of Congress Asian Reading Room, 8/30-9/15
Coming to America through The Angel Island Immigration Station
OCA Awards Gala Photos: David Henry Hwang, Tamlyn Tomita, BD Wong, Dr. Bobby Fong & Tammy Duckworth
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

DTC’s Production Photos of Giant featuring Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin,P.J. Griffith, Dee Hoty, Raul Aranas & Katie Thompson

Lia Chang — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:29:02 +0000

Dallas Theater Center’s Giant, a co-production with The Public Theater, opens tonight at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, and has performances through February 19, 2012. Tony Award-nominated Michael Greif directs this new musical by Sybille Pearson and Michael John LaChiusa, which began preview performances on January 18, 2012.

Dallas Theater Center's Giant - Cast Jump Photo by Karen Almond

“Edna Ferber’s niece came to me several years ago about writing the musical version of Giant,” says composer and lyricist Michael John LaChiusa. “It wasn’t until I was commissioned to write something for the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia that I moved forward with the project. Now we have this beautiful love story with a universality and a truth that I hope will capture the imaginations of audiences in Texas and all over the country.”

Dallas Theater Center's Giant stars Kate Baldwin as Leslie and Aaron Lazar and Bick. Photo by Karen Almond

Aaron Lazar, who has appeared in seven Broadway productions including A Tale of Two Cities, Impressionism, The Light in the Piazza, and the recent revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, stars as Texas cattleman Bick Benedict. Lazar was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his role in the revival of Les Miserables and can now be seen in Clint Eastwood’s film J. Edgar. Kate Baldwin, a Tony Award nominee for Finian’s Rainbow, plays his socialite wife Leslie. Baldwin has appeared on Broadway in The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town, and has performed at theaters across the country.

P.J.Griffith as Jett Rink in Dallas Theater Center's Giant. Photo by Karen Almond

P.J. Griffith, who recently starred in the original Broadway production of American Idiot and is the lead vocalist for the band Blue Movie, portrays young oil tycoon Jett Rink. New York stage veteran Raul Aranas, who has appeared on Broadway in Miss Saigon, The King and I, Loose Ends and Flower Drum Song, plays Polo. Aranas is fresh from starring as The Engineer in the Ogunquit Playhouse production of Miss Saigon, and during his stint as The Engineer in the 1st National Company, he received a Helen Hayes Award, the Carbonell Award and a Jefferson Award Nomination. His turn as The Reciter in the North Shore Theatre production of Pacific Overtures, garnered him an Irne Award.He has appeared in the films Burn After Reading, Afterwards, Buzzkill, JFK, Company Man, and on television on “Law And Order,” “Gideon Oliver,” “One Life To Live,” and “Bluebloods.”

Dee Hoty, Katie Thompson, Kate Baldwin, Mary Bacon and Allison Rogers Photo by Karen Almond

“We have assembled an extraordinarily talented cast for this new production in Dallas,” says director Michael Greif. “And the excitement that we all feel for sharing this great Texas story with Texas audiences is palpable.”

Also featured in the cast of Giant are Mary Bacon as Adarene and Mrs. Lyntonn; Miguel Cervantes as Angel, Jr. and Angel, Sr.; Natalie Cortez as Juana; Rocio Del Mar Valles as Analita; John Dossett as Bawley; Matt Doyle as Jordy, Jr.; Andrea Green as Lil Luz; Jason Hite as Bobby, Jr.; Dee Hoty as Luz; Doreen Montalvo as Lupe; Martin Sola as Dimodeo; Matthew Stocke as Mike; Katie Thompson as Vashti and William Youmans as Pinkie. Ensemble members include: Enrique Acevado, Michael Halling, Allison Rogers and Isabel Santiago.

Aaron Lazar, Andrea Lynn Green, Matt Doyle, Kate Baldwin in Dallas Theater Center's Giant . (Photo by Karen Almond)

Giant is an epic love story set in the Lone Star State that spans generations. Bick Benedict is the heir apparent to the largest ranch in Texas, Reata. When he falls in love with a Virginia girl, Leslie, and brings her home, complications ensue as Leslie learns to cope with a new land and culture, and Bick tries to cope with a changing country and changing times. Jett Rink, represents a new age in Texas – oil. The struggles between the cattle ranger’s way of life and the drilling for oil, hostilities between whites and Mexicans, exploitation of the land and the desire to preserve it, the challenge of adapting to a changing world versus clinging to traditional values—Bick, Leslie, their children, and all those they know and encounter must face these challenges.

Three-time Tony nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Grey Gardens, Next to Normal) helms Giant, the sprawling, epic love story with larger-than-life characters and Texas-size musical numbers, written by Michael John LaChiusa (music and lyrics) and Sybille Pearson, and based on the classic novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber.

The design team includes costume designer Jeff Mashie, who also worked with Greif on the Broadway and touring productions of Next to Normal, set designer Allen Moyer (Grey Gardens, Twelve Angry Men), lighting designer Ken Posner (Catch Me if You Can), sound designer Brian Ronan (The Book of Mormon, American Idiot) and choreographer Alex Sanchez.

Tickets for Giant start at $15 (maximum ticket prices vary by performance) and are available online at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org or by phone at 214-880-0202.

All performances of Giant will be held at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center located at 2400 Flora St., where it runs Jan. 18 – Feb. 19. Performance times are Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 16 at 2:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.; and select Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m.

DTC thanks the production sponsors for their generous support of Giant. Title Sponsor is Pioneer Natural Resources. Commissioning Sponsors are Lyn and John Muse. Premiere Sponsor is JP Morgan Chase Foundation. Presenting Sponsors are Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty; Embrey Family Foundation; and VARI*LITE®. Executive Producing Partner is Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Assistant Producing Partners are Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; HYATT house; and PwC. Additional support provided by Kimberley and Scott Sheffield.

ABOUT DALLAS THEATER CENTER:
One of the leading regional theaters in the country, Dallas Theater Center (DTC) performs to an audience of more than 90,000 North Texas residents annually. Founded in 1959, DTC is now a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and presents its Mainstage season at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, designed by REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus and Rem Koolhaas. DTC also presents productions at its original home, the Kalita Humphreys Theater, the only freestanding theater designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty and Managing Director Heather Kitchen, DTC produces a seven-play subscription series of classics, musicals and new plays and an annual production of A Christmas Carol; extensive education programs, including Project Discovery, Summer Stage and partnerships with Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts; and community outreach efforts including leading the DFW Foote Festival and recent collaborations with the Dallas Public Library, Dallas Holocaust Museum, North Texas Food Bank, Dallas Opera, and Dallas Black Dance Theater. Throughout its history, DTC has produced many new works, including The Texas Trilogy by Preston Jones in 1978, Adrian Hall’s All the King’s Men in 1986, and recent premieres of The Trinity River Plays by Regina Taylor, the revised It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, Give it Up! (now titled Lysistrata Jones and recently on Broadway) by Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn, Sarah Plain and Tall by Julia Jordan, Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
Cindy Cheung’s solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, directed by BD Wong at Stage Left Studio has been extended, February 5-15, 2012
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: SPEAK UP CONNIE In Rehearsal
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Photos: Maya Lin, BD Wong, David Henry Hwang, Yeohlee, Christopher Yahng, Oscar L. Tang and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at MOCA Legacy Awards Gala
DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz, Nabs ”Best Film (USA)” and ”Feature Film Audience Award” at 2011 ITN Distribution Film and New Media Festival
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. Names Brendan L. Hoffman President and Chief Executive Officer

Lia Chang — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:18:43 +0000

Brendan L. Hoffman Photo by Lia Chang
(press release) The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. today announced the appointment of Brendan L. Hoffman, 43, to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective February 7, 2012. He will also be elected to the Board of Directors (the “Board”). Mr. Hoffman replaces President and Chief Executive Officer Bud Bergren, who is a current member of the Board of Directors and who will transition to the role of the Chairman of the Board of the Company. Upon Mr. Bergren’s transition to Chairman of the Board, Tim Grumbacher, currently serving as Executive Chairman of the Board, will remain a Director of the Company.

Mr. Hoffman was the Chief Executive Officer and President of Lord & Taylor L.L.C. since October 2008. Prior to this, he served six years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Neiman Marcus Direct, a subsidiary of The Neiman Marcus Group Inc., where he oversaw the growth of neimanmarcus.com and the launch and growth of bergdorfgoodman.com. Mr. Hoffman also served as Vice President of Last Call Clearance Division at Neiman Marcus from August 2000 to December 2002 and as a Divisional Merchandise Manager of Bergdorf Goodman Inc. from October 1998 to August 2000.

Mr. Grumbacher stated, “We are excited to have an executive with Brendan’s skill and background assuming the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. He comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the retail industry, which we believe will be very beneficial in driving profitable growth from the strategic initiatives we began piloting in the fall of fiscal 2011. We look forward to Brendan joining our team and working with him to drive the future success of our Company.”

Mr. Grumbacher continued, “The Board of Directors and I would personally like to thank Bud and recognize his many accomplishments and dedicated service over the past seven years. We are very fortunate to have the continued counsel and support of Bud as he transitions into his new role as Chairman of the Board.”

Mr. Hoffman commented, “I have great confidence in Bon-Ton’s future and look forward to working closely with management and the Board in executing a successful strategic plan and increasing shareholder value. I am excited to lead the Bon-Ton team as it embarks on a new phase of growth.”

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 276 department stores, which includes 11 furniture galleries, in 23 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers nameplates and, in the Detroit, Michigan area, under the Parisian nameplate. The department stores offer a broad assortment of national and private brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Lord & Taylor CEO Brendan Hoffman to receive 2011 “Father of the Year” & Milton Margolis Humanitarian Award in NY
Adrienne Maloof at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave Debuts Adrienne Maloof by Charles Jourdan Shoe Collection
Photos: Kathie Lee Gifford at the 2011 Lord & Taylor Fifth Avenue Christmas Windows Unveiling in New York
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: Fall Foliage at Devil’s Lake State Park
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Lord & Taylor CEO Brendan Hoffman to receive 2011 “Father of the Year” & Milton Margolis Humanitarian Award in NY
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
NY Yankee Fans Show Love for Brett Gardner at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Multimedia: Lord & Taylor 2009 Christmas Windows
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Multimedia: Tino Martinez and Sherri Shepherd at Lord & Taylor Benefit Bash
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Subscribe to Backstage Pass with Lia Chang

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

Lia Chang: Cindy Cheung’s solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, directed by BD Wong at Stage Left Studio has been extended, February 5-15, 2012

Lia Chang — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:32:21 +0000

Cindy Cheung in SPEAK UP CONNIE. Photo by Lia Chang

This month, Cindy Cheung debuted her solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, at Stage Left Studio, 214 W. 30th St., 6th Fl. in New York for 5 performances. In SPEAK UP CONNIE, the versatile Cheung writes, performs, and provides original music and lyrics in a comedy about getting a word in edgewise, under the direction of BD Wong.

Cheung’s last two performances on January 24th and 25th are sold-out, but due to popular demand, new show dates have been added – Sunday, February 5th, Tuesday, February 7th, Wednesday, February 8th, Sunday, February 12th, and Wednesday, February 15th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20. ($2 ticketing surcharge will be added). Click here for tickets.

Cindy Cheung Photo by Lia Chang

Cindy Cheung’s theater credits include The Sugarhouse at the Edge of the Wilderness (Ma-Yi), Middletown (The Vineyard), The Seagull and Antigone, (NAATCO), Goodbye Cruel World (Roundtable), Sides: The Fear Is Real… (Ma-Yi/Miyagi), Masha No Home (E.S.T.), W;t (Florida Studio Theater), The First Picture Show (A.C.T.), A Christmas Carol (South Coast Rep), Sweeney Todd and Into The Woods (East West Players). Film and TV credits include: Children of Invention (Sundance 2009), Lady In The Water, Robot Stories, “Bored To Death,” “White Collar,” “Fringe,” “Law and Order,” “L&O:SVU,” “L&O: Criminal Intent,” “One Life To Live” and “Sex and the City”. She holds an MFA from A.C.T.

Actor BD Wong at the 32nd Annual MOCA Legacy Awards Gala at Cipriani Wall Street, 55 Wall St in New York on December 12, 2011. Photo by Lia Chang

BD Wong directed and produced the New York Musical Theatre Festival production of The YELLOW WOOD. A multi-award winning actor whose work includes theater, television, and film, Wong is the only actor ever to have received all five major New York Theater awards for his Broadway debut in David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly (Outer Critics’ Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, Theatre World Award, Clarence Derwent Award, Tony Award). Films include: The Freshman, Father of the Bride (1 & 2), Jurassic Park, And the Band Played On, Seven Years in Tibet, Executive Decision, Slappy and the Stinkers, Mulan (1 & 2), The Salton Sea, Stay. He can also be heard as the voice of Shang in the Disney animated films Mulan and Mulan II. He played Dr. George Huang, a forensic psychiatrist and expert on the criminal mind, on the top-rated series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for eleven seasons. Wong also gained notice as a cast regular on HBO’s critically acclaimed series Oz, playing the resilient prison priest Father Ray Mukada for six seasons. Other Broadway credits include: Pacific Overtures, Face Value, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. He is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Following Foo (The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man) (Harper Collins). Other Off-Broadway and regional theatre: Shanghai Moon, As Thousands Cheer, A Language of Their Own, and four productions of Herringbone. Wong is currently shooting the new NBC series AWAKE, which will air in March.

Stage Left Studio
214 W 30th St
6th Floor
(between 7th Ave & 8th Ave)
New York
February 5, 7, 8, 12 and 15, 2012 @ 7:30pm

BD Wong directs Cindy Cheung in SPEAK UP CONNIE. Photo by Lia Chang

Cindy Cheung reviews her script with her director BD Wong. Photo by Lia Chang

Cindy Cheung and her SPEAK UP CONNIE director BD Wong Photo by Lia Chang

Subscribe to Backstage Pass with Lia Chang

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Cindy Cheung Debuts solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, directed by BD Wong at Stage Left Studio, January 17-25, 2012
broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: SPEAK UP CONNIE In Rehearsal
Ma-Yi Presents Carla Ching’s The Sugar House at The Edge of The Wilderness at The Connelly Theater, 11/8-12/4
Cindy Cheung in Will Eno’s Middleton at the Vineyard
Photo Call of BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society
BD Wong to Star in Heading East at Asia Society, May 24-26 Multimedia: BD Wong, Anastasia Barzee, Clarke Thorell, Cindy Cheung and Orville Mendoza at Rattlestick Playwrights Theaters’ Musical Mix ‘n’ Mingle
BD Wong, Anastasia Barzee, Cindy Cheung and Orville Mendoza in Rattlestick’s Musical Mix ‘n’ Mingle
Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert and Minnesota Tour, February 9-19, 2012
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
DTC’s Production Photos of Giant featuring Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin,P.J. Griffith, Dee Hoty, Raul Aranas & Katie Thompson
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz, Nabs ”Best Film (USA)” and ”Feature Film Audience Award” at 2011 ITN Distribution Film and New Media Festival
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

Lia Chang Photos: Dragons and Lions in the Chinese New Year Parade

Lia Chang — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:11:24 +0000

THE CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE: DRAGONS AND LIONS
The most popular event of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival is the Chinese New Year Parade. The actual date is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar and falls in late January or early February. The celebrations last for 15 days, although today, many families celebrate for five. Since the New Year’s festival traditionally marks the beginning of the planting season in China, a major character is a dragon, bringer of rain and good luck.

Dancing Dragon, New York Chinatown, 2003. (Lia Chang)

In China, the dragon is held in high esteem for its dignity and power for good. Today, highlights of Chinese New Year parades include the huge, undulating cloth dragon and prancing lions, which make their way through narrow streets of Chinatowns around the world. They are accompanied by three musicians playing a large drum, cymbals and a gong, who play loudly to chase the evil spirits away.
Black lion costume and spectators during Chinese New Year Parade, New York Chinatown, 2002.(Lia Chang)

The mask of the lion is made from paper-maché and bamboo, and fits over a dancer's shoulders. The dancer can move the lion's eyes, mouth and ears with his hands. The lion's body, which is attached to the head, consists of a long piece of cloth. It is often decorated with sequins and mock fur. Lion Dances are used to expel evil spirits and bring good luck.

White and Black Lion Costumes in Chinese New Year Parade, New York Chinatown, 2002. (Lia Chang)

Peking Opera Performer, New York Chinatown, 2002. (Lia Chang)
Lion and Dragon masks in Chinese New Year Parade, New York Chinatown, 2002. (Lia Chang)

Gold Dragon, New YorkChinatown, 2003. (Lia Chang)

The dragon is a huge puppet. The mask made of bamboo or paper-maché is worn by one man, and the long body of brightly colored cloth is carried by the many dancers hidden beneath it.

RED AND CHINESE NEW YEAR TRADITIONS
Red is my favorite color. It symbolizes fire and during Chinese New Year, Chinese wear the color red because it is believed that wearing red will scare away evil spirits and bad fortune.

Lia Chang in Red Cheongsam, Los Angeles, 2009. (Lia Chang)

Lia Chang in her custom-tailored red cheongsam from Hong Kong. The cheongsam or qipao (chipao) was created in the 1920s in Shanghai and was made fashionable by socialites and upper-class women.

Detail of Traditional Red Silk Chinese Robe, circa 1950, 2009. (Lia Chang)
My grandfather brought this robe from China for my grandmother.

Jade Bracelet and Red Envelopes, 2009. Photo by Lia Chang

My mother gave me this jade bracelet, which was given to her by my great-grandmother, during a Chinese New Year’s eve dinner many years ago. The Lai See (red envelopes) with our family Chinese name were given to be my Auntie Pauline. Traditionally, Red envelopes are given during Chinese New Year’s celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried children. The number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for “wealth”), and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes.

Colorful Lanterns, New York, 2002. Lia Chang
Hanging Paper Firecracker and Scrolls, New York, 2002. (Lia Chang)
Baby Lion heads and Noisemakers, New York, 2002. (Lia Chang)

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos & Video: Celebrate Chinese New Year with David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish through January 29, 2012
Photos: David Henry Hwang, John C. Whitehead, Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Asia Society Awards Dinner in New York
Cindy Cheung Debuts solo show SPEAK UP CONNIE, directed by BD Wong at Stage Left Studio, 1/17-25/12
Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas Set for the Dallas Theater Center/Public Theater Co-Production of Giant at the Wyly Theatre, January 18 – February 19, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: Backstage with the Cast of Chinglish and David Henry Hwang at the Longacre Theatre
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.