Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
PROVO — A Taiwanese contingent invited by a Provo-based group that promotes Chinese culture will be offering a free public performance after two weeks of visits to several Utah schools.
The An-Ping Sword, Lion and Drum Team, invited by the Provo-based Su Ma Ma Chinese Club, performs Friday at Timpview High School in Provo, with activities to start at 6 p.m. The Su Ma Ma Chinese Club, which sponsored the visit by the An-Ping group, is a nonprofit organization that aids schools offering Chinese language instruction and promotes Chinese culture.
"We're trying to bring the most authentic, genuine experience to our students," said Amanda Conklin, who's originally from Taiwan and helps lead the Su Ma Ma Chinese Club.
Friday's event is also meant as a celebration of the Lunar New Year, which started Feb. 10. The Lunar New Year is also known as the Spring Festival, and activities in Asian countries and other places that mark it are typically spread over 15 days.
The An-Ping group, made up of college and junior high school students from Taiwan, started its tour of 12 Utah schools on Feb. 2, and the members return to Taiwan on Saturday. Members have been performing traditional staples like the lion and dragon dances, and also offering percussion performances and Chinese yo-yo demonstrations.
"We're showing the Chinese culture," Conklin said.
Conklin started the Su Ma Ma Chinese Club in 2014, initially to help provide resources to her daughter and her classmates as they started study in a Chinese immersion program. The scope expanded to aid other schools with Chinese immersion programs and, more broadly, to promote the culture.
"We're just trying to give the students a platform where they can use the language they learn," Conklin said.
The An-Ping performances mark the fourth time since 2015 that the Su Ma Ma Chinese Club has offered activities to schools in Utah focused on Chinese and Taiwanese culture.
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