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Dancers join celebration of Lunar Chinese New Year

JANESVILLE — Chuck Carroll likes to think his lion dancers had something to do with bringing good luck to the Green Bay Packers.

Students from his kung fu school performed the traditional Chinese dance at Lambeau Field in 2008, when the Packers traded a disgruntled Brett Favre and moved forward with Aaron Rodgers to be their No. 1 quarterback.

The rest is history.

Carroll hopes to bring green and gold lions to Hedberg Public Library on Sunday for more dancing and more good luck for the Packers on the day of the Super Bowl.

Performers from the Whitefish Bay group are part of a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, heralding the "Year of the Rabbit." In grand costumes, they represent mythical creatures that protect Chinese people from evil.

"Most certainly those who attend the performance can look forward to a good year," Carroll said. "The whole purpose of the lion dance is to bring good fortune."

Students of kung fu schools typically do lion dancing as a way of expressing their art to the public. Kung fu is a Western term that refers to the fighting arts of China.

Students also will bring a large drum, cymbals and gongs, but they won't be the only musicians.

Yili Zhang will play music much the same way Chinese people did 3,000 years ago. The Janesville man will perform on the seven-stringed zither, known as the Guqin. China's oldest-stringed instrument is also a symbol of Chinese high culture.

The Lunar New Year is a joyful festival in China as it brings together family members. People celebrate by cooking dumplings, eating reunion meals, sitting up late and waiting for the new year to arrive, Zhang said.

Unlike the Western calendar, the Chinese people have their own lunar calendar that revolves around the moon. The Lunar New Year was Thursday, Feb. 3.

Zhang spends half the year in Janesville and the other half in Beijing. He has worked for Global-Easy Travel in Beijing for more than a decade.

During the Lunar New Year celebration at the library Sunday, Janesville elementary and middle school students will offer presentations in Chinese. Children will be able to learn how to write their names in Chinese and traditional Chinese New Year refreshments will be served.

"Our multicultural programs are a great way for everyone to learn about the cultures of the people living in our community," said Rene Bue, bilingual outreach coordinator at the library.

One more thing: The event ends early enough for families to get back home and watch the Super Bowl.

"While they are here," Bue said, "they can ask for special luck for the Green Bay Packers!"