Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College is pleased to announce program details for its second annual Lunar New Year Celebration, which will be presented on Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 3pm. This year’s celebration will once again be created and performed by the prestigious Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and will feature The Chinese Music Ensemble of New York along with special guest artists from Beijing Xin Ye Ma as well as members of the Beijing Dance Academy.

The family-friendly performance honors The Year of the Sheep — a year of peace, love, and woolly gentleness according to the Chinese calendar — and will include the following segments:

Double Lions Welcoming Spring (choreography by Nai-Ni Chen) The Lion Dance is said to have originated in the Tang Dynasty 3,000 years ago, and today is one of the most popular dances performed for the Chinese New Year. It depicts a child playfully frolicking with a lion, symbolizing peace and harmony on earth and requiring supreme concentration, coordination, and acrobatic skills of its dancers.

Peach Flower Landscape (choreography by Nai-Ni Chen) The legend of the Peach Flower Village tells of a peaceful agricultural community who are hidden away from the rest of the world, living in perfect harmony with the land. The Company will perform an excerpt of a 45-minute long dance drama, Peach Flower Landscape, which was commissioned by the Lincoln Center Institute in 1995.

Dragon Dance (choreography by Nai-Ni Chen) As the most spectacular folk dance of the Chinese New Year Celebration, the Dragon Dance depicts a mythical animal, which symbolizes imperial power and nature’s grace. For those fortunate enough to see it in the Chinese New Year, prosperity and good fortune are ensured for the coming year.

Visit www.brooklyncenter.org for full list of performances!