Cypher Dance Team Hosts Lunar New Year Celebration

February 10, 2023

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Illinois Wesleyan University Cypher Dance Team will host a Lunar New Year celebration from 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, in Hansen Student Center. 

Lunar New Year is a predominantly East Asian-Pacific celebration of the new year on the lunar calendar. While the official start date for the holiday varies by culture, it most often begins on the first new moon of the new year and lasts for 15 days. Celebrations include eating symbolic dishes, spending time with family and enjoying traditions such as exchanging red envelopes and lighting lanterns.

Cypher Dance Team vice president Leah Robinson '23 said this is the first time IWU has hosted a Lunar New Year celebration since the COVID pandemic, and this is the first time the event is being hosted by the student-led dance team — a tradition the group members are committed to keeping alive. 

“We wanted to bring back this event to show the scale and importance again before the current seniors graduate with only those students having the memories of this event,” said Robinson.

The event will include performances from Cypher Dance Team, educational videos about Lunar New Year, sharing of red envelopes and lantern making.

“It is a very exciting, but daunting task to take on. We're very happy to bring the event back, but as a smaller club, we have really been putting in a lot of time and resources to make the event even half as amazing as before,” said Robinson. 

Any student or organization is invited to contribute to the celebration through storytelling, music or other performances. Those interested should contact Leah Robinson at lrobins1@iwu.edu . 

Cypher Dance Team is a non-audition dance group that performs at various school events and records dance covers. The group mainly focuses on K-pop dances, however members of the group also perform hip hop and contemporary genres. Dancers of any skill level are welcome.

By MJ Soria '25