近400名演艺人员和参展艺术家、100多名志愿者和40多个赞助团体与个人，14台形式多样的节目，以及近1800名观众，这是2月2日当晚，在凯勒剧院举办的俄勒冈州龙年春节联欢晚会的盛况。
本场由波特兰中国联谊会和英特尔华人员工联盟共同主办，俄勒冈中国艺术家协会协办的春晚，在各族裔观众的掌声和齐赞中落下了帷幕，成为依然津津乐道的话题。回看这场年度大戏，精彩可圈可点，彰显了其诸多不同的特点。
农历新年的系列庆祝活动，是俄勒冈州亚裔社区生活中的重头戏，也是一年一度各族裔合欢共度新年的主要形式。今年的春晚系列活动参照以往的成功经验，多角度、立体化地呈现过年的喜庆气氛。在场外，携手俄勒冈中国艺术家协会，展开书法、绘画、摄影、手工等艺术的展览与评选活动，集中展示艺术作品，渲染新春文化气息；同时着眼于华裔下一代艺术人才的挖掘与培养，发起龙年青少年儿童绘画大赛，在春晚现场大厅举行展览、评选和颁奖活动，为春晚营造了绚丽缤纷的氛围。
在场内集中优势进行春晚的节目策划、选拔和编排，由赵焱明、张炯和黄捷三人构成总体策划与导演，对整台节目进行宏观上的全景规划与编导，上台节目严格把关，逐个进行选拔与编排；参考并采纳相关意见和建议，博取众长；在立足本地选拔同时，着眼域外演艺人员的聘请，充实、适配节目的需求，统筹协调，不断完善整体效果的有机构成，达到丰富多彩、巍然大观的要求。在开场节目的编排中，就采纳了Winnie舞蹈工作室闵敏老师的设计方案，从群娃闹春，小龙腾舞，醒狮鼓响，狮唤巨龙，到长龙从观众后方飞舞上台，沉浸式体验由醒狮、擂鼓唤醒小龙变大龙的叙事性表演，将平素广场上的舞龙大胆搬上舞台，与鼓乐、醒狮、儿童群舞有机组合一体，形成鼓狮齐唤、腾龙飞舞、百子齐欢的迎春场景，开场伊始即以磅礴气势瞬间压住全场，将观众带入到新春欢庆的氛围之中。
整台节目编导上，注重各种元素的组合与协调。东西方文化的兼容，传统与现代的结合，创意与效果的考量，精彩与流程的平衡，殚精竭虑，打造了一台高质量的春晚节目。既有川剧女传人的绝世变脸，又有当代邓丽君传承者的倾情献唱；既有微舞剧《孔子》，又有情景歌舞《想起老妈妈》；既有国际武术冠军的刀光剑影，又有国家体操冠军的优雅律动；既有古筝、扬琴、琵琶、二胡、舌鼓（及大提琴伴奏）等古典器乐演奏的《采薇》、《彩云追月》，又有父子小提琴两代人的深情演绎；既有古典的舞蹈《碇步桥》、《吉祥如懿》、《粉墨春秋》，又有现代芭蕾《等候空间》和波利尼西亚的风情舞《缤纷夏威夷》，既有两位年届八十的耄耋老人，又有朵朵花儿般的儿童少年，让观众在精彩纷呈的节目中，体味艺术和节日带来的欢欣与感动。
一台精彩的春晚，需要启动并融合各方力量和资源，是一次社区协调合作、共襄盛举的结果。得到了当地政府、相关部门和亚裔、少数族裔社区及社会各界的关注、支持和参与，表现出极为高涨的热情和赞赏的心态。晚会当晚，州、县、市政府与相关部门及社区团体要员纷至沓来，共贺新春。俄勒冈州务卿办公室和州议员办公室的官员、大都市区议员、县市专员与负责人、波特兰警署官员、县、州卫生局（厅）负责人、州商业部门和能源交通部门负责人、英特尔副总裁与院士以及华人社区相关侨团负责人均亲临现场祝贺并观看了演出；此外，美国参议员Jeffrey A.Merkley、俄勒冈州州长Tina Kotek和中国驻旧金山总领事馆分别发来了贺电，祝贺新春及晚会成功。在接受各方祝福和捐助的同时，传递爱的能量，将春晚惠及PPS低收入与收养家庭，与更多的人共享农历新年的喜悦和欢乐。
诚然，辞旧迎新，共享欢乐是春节的主题，正被越来越多的人所喜爱。统计显示，全球约五分之一的人口以不同的形式庆祝这一传统节日。去年联合国第78届大会将农历新年确定为联合国假日。相信在不久将来春节也将成为俄勒冈州的法定假日。
俄勒冈春晚已徐徐降下帷幕。然而，它所产生的能量却在发生着作用，藏于内心的这份温情与感动，正成为我们走进龙年、面向未来的一种喜悦和力量。
Making the Lunar New Year Gala a Force – Review of Oregon Spring Festival Gala by Wang Xing
With nearly 400 performers and participating artists, over 100 volunteers, more than 40 sponsoring organizations and individuals, 14 diverse programs, and nearly 1800 audience members, the atmosphere was vibrant at the Oregon Lunar New Year Celebration held at the Keller Auditorium on the evening of February 2nd.
Co-hosted by the Chinese Friendship Association of Portland and the Intel Chinese Employee Network, and co-organized by the Oregon Chinese Artists Association, the Spring Festival Gala drew to a close amidst thunderous applause and unanimous praise from audiences of various ethnicities, remaining a topic of discussion long after its conclusion. Looking back at this annual spectacle, it showcased numerous distinctive features.
The series of Lunar New Year celebrations is the highlight of the Asian community’s life in Oregon, serving as the primary form of annual New Year celebration for various ethnic groups. This year’s Spring Festival Gala series activities, drawing on past successful experiences, presented the festive atmosphere of the New Year from multiple perspectives in a multi-dimensional manner. Outside the venue, in collaboration with the Oregon Chinese Artists Association, exhibitions and selection activities for calligraphy, painting, photography, handicrafts, and other arts were held, showcasing artworks and creating an atmosphere of the Spring Festival; meanwhile, focusing on the exploration and cultivation of young Chinese-American artistic talents, a Dragon Year Youth Children’s Painting Contest was initiated, with exhibitions, evaluations, and award ceremonies held in the lobby of the Spring Festival Gala venue, creating a splendid and colorful atmosphere for the event.
Internally, a comprehensive planning, selection, and arrangement of the Spring Festival Gala programs were conducted, with Zhao Yanming, Zhang Jiong, and Huang Jie forming the overall planning and directing team, overseeing the macro-planning and directing of the entire program, rigorously selecting and arranging each on-stage performance. Taking into account and adopting relevant opinions and suggestions, they sought excellence. While focusing on local selection, attention was also given to the hiring of performing artists from outside the region, enriching and adapting to the needs of the program, coordinating and coordinating to continuously improve the organic composition of the overall effect, meeting the requirements of rich and magnificent spectacle. In the arrangement of the opening program, the design scheme proposed by Winnie, a teacher from the Winnie Dance Studio, was adopted, bringing the traditional dragon dance, lion dance, and children’s group dance from the square to the stage, organically combining drum music, lion dance, and children’s group dance, forming a scene of drums and lions calling, dragons soaring, and children celebrating the Spring Festival, instantly captivating the audience with a majestic momentum and immersing them in the atmosphere of New Year celebrations from the beginning.
In the overall program planning and directing, emphasis was placed on the combination and coordination of various elements. The compatibility of Eastern and Western cultures, the integration of tradition and modernity, considerations of creativity and effects, and the balance between excitement and flow were meticulously considered, resulting in a high-quality Spring Festival Gala program. There were performances such as the Sichuan Opera’s face-changing technique passed down through generations, as well as heartfelt singing by contemporary inheritors of Teresa Teng; there were micro-dance dramas like “Confucius” and situational song and dance performances like “Light Opera Think of Mum”; there were performances by international martial arts champions and elegant rhythms by national gymnastics champions; there were classical instrumental performances such as “Picking Osmund” and “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon” by instruments like the guzheng, yangqin, pipa, erhu, and tongue drum (accompanied by cello), as well as deep interpretations by a father-son violin duo; there were classical dances like “The Anchor of the Bridge,” “Auspicious As Desired,” and “The Spring and Autumn Festival Fragments,” as well as modern ballet like “the Waiting Room” and Polynesian dances like “Fantastic Hawaii”; there were octogenarians as well as children and teenagers, allowing the audience to experience the joy and emotion brought by art and festivals amidst a dazzling array of performances.
A splendid Spring Festival Gala requires the mobilization and integration of various forces and resources, and is the result of community coordination, cooperation, and joint efforts. It has garnered considerable attention, support, and participation from local governments, relevant departments, Asian and minority ethnic communities, and various sectors of society, demonstrating a remarkably enthusiastic and appreciative attitude. On the evening of the gala, officials from state, county, and municipal governments, relevant departments, and community organizations flocked to congratulate the Lunar New Year. Officials from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, state legislators’ offices, metropolitan area councilors, county commissioners and officials, Portland Police Bureau officials, county and state health department officials, state business and energy transportation department officials, Intel vice presidents and academicians, as well as leaders of Chinese community-related organizations, all attended the event to congratulate and watch the performances; additionally, U.S. Senator Jeffrey A. Merkley, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, and the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco sent congratulatory messages, celebrating the Lunar New Year and the success of the gala. While accepting blessings and donations from all parties, the energy of love is transmitted, extending the joy and happiness of the Lunar New Year to low-income and adoptive families in the Portland Public Schools (PPS) district and sharing it with more people.
Indeed, bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new, and sharing joy is the theme of the Spring Festival, which is increasingly beloved by more and more people. Statistics show that approximately one-fifth of the world’s population celebrates this traditional festival in various forms. Last year, the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly designated the Lunar New Year as a United Nations holiday. It is believed that in the near future, the Spring Festival will also become a statutory holiday in Oregon.
The Oregon Spring Festival Gala has slowly drawn to a close. However, the energy it has generated continues to exert its influence, and the warmth and emotion hidden in our hearts are becoming a source of joy and strength as we step into the Year of the Dragon and look towards the future.
