|
Among the many Chinese New Year celebrations that have
been happening in Northeast Ohio, one of the most well attended was
the Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets Chinese New Year basketball
game on Jan 27. In addition to the over 20,000 people in attendance,
the game was broadcast on Fox Sport Ohio and was streamed live on
Tencent in China to millions. To celebrate Chinese New Year, the
game included two fantastic on-court performances. The first by
nationally known acrobat Red Panda, Krystal Niu, who balances
flipped bowls onto her head while atop a 7-foot unicycle. Secondly,
a spirited performance was provided by the 14 member OCA Cleveland
Dragon Dance Team, which incorporated acrobatics by the Cavs Scream
Team into the routine. This is the second year the OCA Dragon team
has performed during the Cavs New Year game. In addition to the
performances, the Cavalier players wore commemorative New Year
shooting jerseys, Year of the Rooster dolls were handed out, and
special events and display tables were located throughout the arena.
With China being the second largest market for basketball and the
NBA, the Cavs have been able to grow fans not just because of stars
like LeBron James, and being the Champions, but through outreach and
diverse cultural activities such as the New Year celebration. The
OCA Dragon is a partnership with C.I at CSU. In addition to the
Cavaliers game, the OCA Dragon Team also performed along with the
Kwan Lion Dance family at Asian Town Center on Jan 29. Next, see the
OCA Dragon Dance performance at Great Northern Mall on Sunday Feb 5
at 2:00 near the food court. Happy New Year! (Photos by Ed Wong) |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
