UB, Nichols to Present Chinese New Year's Performance by Troupe from Wuhan, China

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- On Feb. 10 at 7 p.m., a performing arts troupe of musicians and dancers from Wuhan, China, will present a Celebration of China's New Year of the Tiger at Nichols School, 1250 Amherst St. in Buffalo.

The event, organized by the newly established Confucius Institute at the University at Buffalo and the Chinese language program at Nichols School, will take place in Nichols' Flickinger Arts Center.

It is free and open to the public. Additional information can be obtained from Bruce Acker, assistant director, UB Asian Studies Program, 716-645-0763 or backer@buffalo.edu.

The performance troupe is from the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, now on a tour of the northeastern United States arranged by the Confucius Institute at Alfred University and funded by the Chinese Language Council International in Beijing.

Kristin Stapleton, PhD, associate professor of history at UB and director of the UB Confucius Institute, says, "This exciting Chinese New Year performance offers a terrific opportunity for the people of Buffalo to experience the colorful and expressive music and dance of China.

"This partnership with Nichols exemplifies the kind of collaboration our new Confucius Institute will engage in to encourage students of all ages in Western New York to learn Chinese language and experience Chinese culture," she says.

The UB institute is one of a network of nearly 300 Confucius Institutes worldwide

It is dedicated to promoting the teaching of Chinese language and culture in Western New York and one of its primary functions in this, its inaugural year, will be to bring language teachers from China to help local schools establish or expand their Chinese language programs.

The grand opening of the UB Confucius Institute will be held on April 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Slee Hall on UB's North Campus.

Nichols School offers Chinese language to students in grades 5-12, and is currently hosting a group of high school exchange students who, coincidentally, are also from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, located in southeastern China.