New Year's Eve Comes Twice This Year
By Phil Randell
The News Journal
Nov. 30, 2005
WILMINGTON, Del. - Delaware and Greater Philadelphia residents who were wondering what to look forward to after their New Year celebrations now have an answer: another New Year celebration. Aided by two local nonprofits, New Tang Dynasty Television, an independent Chinese-language TV station based in New York City, will bring its third annual Chinese New Year Global Gala to the Grand Opera House in Wilmington on Jan. 24.
"We could think of no better way to bridge the gap between East and West than bringing this wonderful gala to Wilmington," said Cindy Wang, vice president of public relations for the Delaware Asian Culture Center, one of the two organizations working with NTDTV. Members of another organization, the Greater Philadelphia Asian Culture Center, are also working tirelessly on the celebration.
Chinese New Year, falling on Jan. 29 in 2006, is celebrated by more than a quarter of the world's population. "This is a unique opportunity for both Asian people and Westerners to experience the very best in Asian traditional arts and culture," said Ying Chen, one of the producers of the gala in New York City. According to Chen, the gala has been so successful in New York and other cities across the globe, NTDTV decided to bring the gala to 11 cities in North America in 2006. "This is a fabulous show featuring great artists. I can't wait to present them to the Wilmington audience."
To celebrate the"Year of the Dog,"which represents the best in human nature, including loyalty, honesty, trustworthiness and leadership, NTDTV chose "Myths and Legends" as the theme of the 2006 gala. The show will feature traditional Chinese performing arts, including music, dance and theatrical acts, as well as Western classical performances. The shows, including the one in Wilmington, will also feature performances by local artists.
The Wilmington performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the Grand Opera House, located at 818 North Market St. Tickets are $35, $60 and $75 and can be purchased by calling the local gala hotlines at (302) 222-9590, (302) 222-9591 or (215) 528-1711. For extensive online information about the gala and for clips of the two previous galas, you can visit www.gala.ntdtv.com.
The Myths and Legends performance in Wilmington has received sponsorship from area businesses and governments, supporting acclaimed artists from around the world. "We are so touched by the outpouring of support from the business community and local officials," said Wang. " We hope all will take advantage of this rare opportunity to see a world-class gala locally and experience an evening of wonder and enchantment."