Celebrating “团圆”: The 8 Foundation’s Mid-Autumn Festival Gala at Hamilton High
By GRACE JIAO
Today, the concept of “团圆”, or in English, family reunification, is almost synonymous with the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, the concept of “团圆” is not strictly associated with family, but rather with the coming together of a group or community. Because of these core values that come with the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is a perfect time to give back and celebrate our communities. As a community of volunteers, the 8 Foundation came together to host a Mid-Autumn performance along with our annual award ceremony at Hamilton High School.
Three hours before the festival started, the halls at Hamilton were already buzzing with noise, from our event coordinators' communications to ensure everything would go well, to the warm-ups of many talented musicians. The event was on 10/4, a date carefully planned out so that all our amazing sponsors and supporters could attend. Two representatives from the Chinese United Association of Greater Phoenix and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Arizona commented on the event, saying, “We really felt a great sense of community, and this really did embody the concept of‘团圆’.” Of course, every performance was phenomenal and carefully thought out by our dedicated event coordinators and volunteers.
The show opened with an incredible display of traditional Chinese wear, ranging from the beautiful Tang Dynasty hanfu to the more recent couture of the Republic of China. Next was a dynamic and engaging dance performance from Arizona Art Academy, Little Kites, which led right into the energetic 8 Foundation Choir performing A Million Dreams and Consider Yourself. The audience was charmed with more music brought through an innovative combination of traditional guzheng and fast-paced rock beats with The Rule of the World.
After an exhilarating performance, the show continued with two elegant dances: Whispers of the Flowers from Dragonfly Arts Academy and Flowing Light, a solo piece from Sophia Zhao. Without missing a beat, the Phoenix Orchestra picked up the energy with Carmen and A Loyal Heart Bleeds for Justice, two classics, before Teacher Kuang Yuyang and her students continued engaging the audience with their passionate K-pop dance to the popular song Golden. Then Laura Lin brought us a surprise with an iconic performance, playing a theme song from a well-known 1980s movie with the ACPHS Orchestra. The first half of the show was beautifully rounded off with the bittersweet poem Ballad of Hometown.
The second half started off strong with another display of Chinese traditional wear, but this time showcasing the diverse traditional outfits of ethnic groups in China, shining a spotlight on the rich culture of these groups. This was followed by a stunning performance by two music PhDs with Czardas, a Hungarian dance, along with Feifei's emotionally moving cover of the Chinese classic Left Hand Points to the Moon.
The audience was moved by the vigor of Exit Only's high-energy performance of Africa by Toto and Misery Business by Paramore. In contrast, the next two performances—Bring in the Wine by Jei Tong and Flora Roses, and A Flying Bird by Sabrina Zhao—shifted the audience to the beauty of ancient China. The audience was then brought back to the modern day with the fascinating magic show Illusion Storm. The amazing performance ended with Ms. Sabina and her Phoenix Guzheng and Peony Ensemble and an authentic demonstration of Shaolin Kung Fu.
After all the wonderful performances, the 8 Foundation recognized all of our devoted volunteers with our very own award, modeled after the PVSA guidelines. More than 80 of our volunteers qualified for our award, and we applaud them for their dedication and hard work. We also recognize our supportive guests, which included: Vice Mayor Christine Ellis, Prof. Hu Changming, Charles Tsui, Kaiying Zhen, Karalee K. Hagen, Lisa Liu Ritchie, Xiaoting Wu, Master Shi Yanqing, and Teacher Sabina. While discussing those worthy of recognition, we cannot miss out on the amazing event organizers, and the founders of the 8 Foundation, Yan and Jose, who have spent countless hours on this organization.
Finally, we give our heartfelt thanks to Director Yuan Zhao, whose leadership and support made this celebration possible. Thank you to everyone who attended or organized this event, and we hope you continue supporting the 8 Foundation!