Chinese Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival set for McKenna Hall

On September 24, the Sparta Asian Arts Community Association and the Knights of Columbus Marquette Council #588 will be hosting the Chinese Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival at McKenna Hall in Reverend Brown School (294 Sparta Ave, Sparta). The festival is an event for families to gather and celebrate a good harvest, family unity and yearly blessings. The doors will open at 3:45 p.m. and the show will start at 4 p.m. Tickets purchased in advance are $15 for adults ($20 at the door). Kids 12 and under are free when accompanied with an adult. Tickets will be sold online on Facebook under the group “Sparta Happenings and More.”

The show will have performances from different organizations, with music and dance from the Song, Tang, and Qi dynasties. The Beijing Dance Academy will perform traditional Chinese folk dances choreographed by Ying Shi. Performances will include the handkerchief dance, fan dance, lotus dance and an elegant modern dance set to Chinese music. Shuang Guo, from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the conductor of the Chinese American Choir Ensemble, will perform a variety of folk music. Music from the Song dynasty will be performed on the GuZheng, a musical instrument used in both court and folk music in ancient China. The local dance group, Trinity Studio, will also present their own interpretation of the water sleeve folk dance, a popular ancient Chinese dance.

After the show, the festival will feature hands-on Chinese craft demonstrations in crafts like paper lantern making and Chinese calligraphy. There will also be a demonstration of proper Chinese tea serving etiquette. Assorted Chinese and Japanese appetizers and desserts from local restaurants will be served as well.

The Sparta Asian Arts Community Association is a newly formed organization that was created to bring arts from different cultures to Sparta. The association plans to hold future events showcasing many of the different cultures across Asia and the Pacific Islands to help “build a better and more harmonious world.”