CHINESE NEW YEAR SKETCH 2010 (4th Grade Girls ICS)
INTRO/dialogue:
1: Stop Stop! Stop Stop! Everyone just stop for a minute! Give me that microphone. Stop the music!
ALL: What? What’s going on? _____ what are you doing? Etc.
1: We’ve all heard this song a thousand times already. And none of us even knows what it means! Am I right? I mean, here we are up here dancing and Gong xi’ing to each other, but it doesn’t MEAN anything to THEM.
[points to audience, then says to someone in the group]
Do you know what it means? Gong Xi Gong Xi nonsense!
[to someone else]
Do you?....See? Absolute nonsense! Yes, Gong Xi is a greeting of blessing, and this song repeats it a million times so we all know that part, but SERIOUSLY! The verses?
I’ve been asking around all through the Chinese New Year holiday and even Chinese Singaporeans don’t really know the words!
2: [shares the microphone] Excuse me [¬name], I know what the words mean.
1: YOU DO????
2: Yeah.
1: Well help us out here!
3: So do I!
1: Well why didn’t you say so?
2: I’m saying so now.
1: Really? Oh wow. That’s great! Take over here and let’s learn what the song means before we go any further with the dance.
2: Okay then. Let’s back it up with the lyrics. The first verse says….
3: Which means….
2: The second line is…
[and so on for verse 1. They all sing accapella the Gong Xi part, Then translate v2 referring to the slides.]
1: Let’s all try it with the music!...You all can sing along if you want to try!
[power point comes on with words, but BEFORE they sing]
4: Excuse me. Before we go on with the rest of the verses, can we take a break here?
All: Okaaay. I thought that’s what we just did…
4: I’m just going to ask you all to stand up. That’s right. Stand up! Now, Do you know how to count in Mandarin?
All: YES! Yi, Er, San, Si, wo….
4: No! No! I’m asking them. Do you? Say it after me. YI [they repeat and it’s not good] Ummm….
Maybe you can do that a little louder? Come on. I’ve heard you out there on the playground. How about you try it with OUTSIDE VOICES? Okay? YI ------ Hen hao! That’s better! Now, ER! …. Good!
Now together: YI,…. Er…… Fei chang hao!
Now I want all of the rows, starting from over here on the right to count off, YI, Er, Yi, Er, all the way across to the other side of the gym!
Number Ones, number “YI”, all you there on the right raise your hand if you’re ready…[wait until many of them raise their hands] GOOD! okay, ready Shu!
Yi er yi er….[kids on stage start it off]
1: Now, We’re going to teach you the dance! At the beginning, all you YI’s take out your Hong Bao with your right hand and shake it like this above your head.
[hong bao kids, you show them how it’s done]
2 Ers, since you can’t really run around the Yis, then we’ll just have you go like this.
[Skippers, model for them, the marching in place.]
1: When it gets to the Gong XI part, all the Yi’s turn to your LEFT, and all the ERs turn to your RIGHT.
[kids on stage do it]
When I count to three, you try it. Ready? 1, 2, 3.
All: Oh no no no no! that was a mess!. We need to try that again!!!
1: Okay, maybe it was bad because I didn’t count in MANDARIN! Let me say it again, When it gets to the Gong XI part, all the Yi’s turn to your LEFT, and all the ERs turn to your RIGHT. When I count to three, you try it. Ready? Yi Er San!
All: Bu zou! Not bad! Not bad!!
1: Now the first time you turn this way, you say:
All: Gong xi Gong xi. [turn] Gong xi ne.
1: Good. Then, you turn to the opposite person and say the next one, just like we did up here. Okay? Try it!!!
ALL: “Gong xi Gong xi Gong xi Ni.”
1: Not bad! I think you got it!
2: Okay, since you know what to do let’s try the song again! Sound man, let’s take it from the top!
[ENTIRE SONG. After verse 2 “Dong Tian yi dao..” ]
5: You guys are pretty good dancers! This is the longest break between verses!
6: So we’ll take a minute to tell you what the next verse means this:
6: The heavy snow has melted, the plums are about to blossom
the endless dark night is over, we hear the crowing of the rooster.
(at another break between verses)
6: The last verse means this:
5: after so much difficulty, with so much discipline
how many hearts are looking forward, to the news of Spring.

[END. Wave as you march off to the drums and firecrackers.]

CHINESE NEW YEAR SONG - Gong Xi Ni

[firecrackers, then 2 - 8 counts]
v1
Mei tiao da jie xiao xiang – on every street and alley
Mei ge ren de zui li – on everyone’s lips, we’re ready to say
jian mian di yi ju hua – when we meet one another the first sentence
jiu shi gong xi gong xi – is bless you bless you bless you!
Gong xi gong xi gong xi ya
Gong xi gong xi ni.
[1 - 8 count] – interrupt here!
v2
Dong tian yi dao jin tou – the winter has come to an end
zhe shi hao de xiao xi – this is really good news.
nuan nuan de chuan fung – the warm breeze of Spring
jiu yao chue xin da di – will wake up the earth.
Gong xi...
[3 - 8 counts]
v3
Hao hao bi xue rong jie – the heavy snow has melted
yin kan mei hua tu ren – the plums are about to blossom
man man chang ye guo chu – the endless dark night is over
ping dao yi shen ji ti – we hear the crowing of the rooster.
Gong Xi...
[2 - 8 counts]
v4
jin guo dou shao kun nan – after so much difficulty
ni jin dou shao muo lian – with so much discipline
duo xiao xing er pang wang – how many hearts are looking forward
pang wang xin di yi xiao xi – to the news of Spring.
Gong xi...
[1 - 8 count, then verse 2, 3, 4 repeat.

On the second time singing v3 (Hao Hao Bi xue…) everyone comes together really tight – a small bunch so that you can pose at the end of the song.

Gong xi... [rest/POSE] Gong xi ni
Find it on YouTube: Chinese New Year 2008 - 过年2008