DUBLIN, Calif. (KGO) -- At Xiaopei Chinese Dance in Dublin, the U.S. China Dance Association tirelessly rehearses for its Lunar New Year performance. About 100 dancers will take part in the opening ceremony for the 2025 San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade.
"We need to rehearse a lot," said Xiaopei He Gelb, owner of Xiaopei Chinese Dance. "To make sure they synchronize, so they have their good expression and pass on good luck and happiness to everyone."
"The kids are very excited so they practice hard," said Zhiping Shi, owner of ZhiPingShi Dance. "They practice from four to five years old, and every weekend they dance."
The dancers range in age from elementary school-aged to high school seniors.
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"It's a really fun experience," said dancer Jenida Yang. "Usually we only perform within our class levels and age group, but it's really fun to be performing this big dance with so many other people."
"It's great," adds fellow dancer Serena Wei. "I love dancing. Sometimes it can be a little tiring because the teacher will always correct us, but I love it, and it's always really fun at the end."
This year's performance with start with a folkloric dance from Southwest China, which means "good fortune to you!"
As Xiaopei explains, "Gee sheeyang roo yee: in Chinese, 'gee' means good luck. 'Sheeyang' means peace and everything nice. 'Roo yee' is everything as you wish!"
The second half of the dance is the "Symphony" dance. It's a culturally Western ballet that symbolizes renewal and celebration and a melding of both Chinese and American cultures.
"I think we are very proud and our members," Xiaopei said.
"I think I feel really proud that we have this great opportunity," said Yang, "to represent all Chinese-Americans in our dance."
"It's great to just spread the culture," added Wei. "To give everyone a chance to watch and experience it."
The group will also be performing on Jan. 29--which is the first day of the Lunar New Year--during halftime of the Warriors home game at Chase Center.
More information can be found here.