2020 Saskatoon Chinese New Year Celebration

On January 25, 2020, the Confucius Institute at the University of Saskatchewan (USask CI) and the Federation of Saskatoon Chinese Canadian Organizations (FSCCO) co-organized the “2020 Saskatoon Chinese New Year Celebration” at TCU Place, the largest theater in Saskatoon. The USask CI Dance Group and Lion and Dragon Dance Team, the Chinese Dance School of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Chinese Martial Arts Academy and two guest artists performed for more than 1000 audience.

His Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, Ms. Xu Lu, the Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Calgary, his Honorable Mr. Scott Moe, the Premier of Saskatchewan, his Worship Mr. Charlie Clark, Mayor of Saskatoon sent Congratulation letters to the celebration.

Mr. Zhuoyang Li, Chair of the FSCCO, Mr. Zhanting Gao, Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Calgary, Mr. Kevin Waugh, MP for Saskatoon-Grasswood, her Honorable Bronwyn Eyre, the Minister of Energy and Resources of the Government of Saskatchewan, his Worship Mr. Charlie Clark, Mayor of Saskatoon, Dr. Peter Stoicheff, the President of the University of Saskatchewan made their respective opening remarks to the celebration.

The celebration is divided into four parts: Cocktail & Reception, Banquet, Greetings from Dignities, and Performance. The USask CI Lion and Dragon Dance Team performed the opening lion dance “Drawing the snake out of its hole” and the USask CI Chinese Dance Group performed the Chinese folk dance “Dance with the four seasons”.

Apart from the performances from the USask CI, the Chinese Dance School of Saskatchewan performed dances “Happy Year of the Rat”, “Prairie children”, “Booming Fire”, and “Happy Life”. The Saskatoon Chinese Martial Arts Academy performed Chinese boxing, sword, and cudgel. The guest artist Jean-Luc Bedryk performed Solo Dai dance “Auspicious tree” and Silk Act “Billows”. The guest artist Coralie Roberge performed Contortion Act “Modeling Journey”.

This event is a perfect combination of Chinese culture and Canadian culture. The performances were greatly welcomed and appreciated by the audience.