Greater Los Angeles

Chinese Cultural Dance Club at UCLA - 2011-2012

SoCal Friends

CCDC FlyerThe Chinese Cultural Dance Club at UCLA (CCDC) is expanding its Junior Dance Program and has a limited number of positions open for new dancers.  A flyer is attached, along with a PDF/Word document containing detailed information about the requirements for participation and the application/audition process.  Note that the program is open to children/youth (girls & boys) ages 8 to 17 (as of October 1). Interested youth who are age 13 and older may also apply and audition to participate in a dance with the college students. If you have any difficulty opening the attachments, please contact CCDC Junior Dance Parent Coordinator Jeri Floyd [email protected] and she will do her best to provide the information in another format.

Applications are due September 23, 2011.

Several of our children have participated in the program for many years -- read more about the Club, see photos of rehearsals and learn about the history of the Junior Dance Program in the Spring 2011 CCDC Newsletter (page 7), which is available on the CCDC website.

Come see CCDC members perform at the upcoming FCC-SoCal Heritage Day event.

Click through for the full post and attachments.

The Chinese Consul-General Welcomes FCC-SoCal Families

FCC-SoCal

The Consul-General receives FCC-SoCalThe FCC-SoCal chapter was honored to receive an invitation from the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China to Los Angeles to attend a luncheon reception to celebrate International Children’s Day. The invitation was sent out to our FCC membership, and over 40 families responded indicating they would like to attend. Due to space limitations the final group consisted of 30 FCC families, staff from the Consulate-General Office and their families, and various additional members of the Chinese-American community in Los Angeles.

The event was held on June 5 in the main meeting hall at the Consulate building, from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. The Consulate staff provided games, entertainment, and gifts for the children, and a highlight of the event was a special video presentation they put together highlighting photos of FCC families along with the families of the Consulate staff. Additionally, the Consul General, Qiu Shaofang, gave a short welcome speech to the group, and then spent the entire two hours getting to know many of the families in attendance. After the games and speeches a delicious Chinese luncheon was shared by all.

It was a delightful afternoon, and the Consul General stated that he would like to make it an annual event. We hope to see many of you at next year’s celebration.

A very special thank you to Albert Olson for organizing the event and contributing this post.

Check out photos from the event.

Somewhere Between

SoCal Friends

Somewhere BetweenFCC-SoCal member Linda Goldstein Knowlton's documentary film "Somewhere Between" will be screening in competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June.  (Congratulations Linda!)

Click through for full details -- please note Linda advises that this film is NOT RECOMMENDED for children under the age of 14 due to the emotional content.

Tickets go on sale on Monday, May 31st.  You're getting an early heads up. Buy Tickets Here

Screening dates:
Sat. Jun 18, 3:10pm, Regal Cinemas/LA LIVE
Tue. Jun 21, 7:30pm, Regal Cinemas/LA LIVE
Wed. Jun 22, 4:30pm, Regal Cinemas/LA LIVE

The Regal Cinemas/LA Live are downtown by the Nokia/Staples Center Complex.

Somewhere Between tells the intimate stories of four teenaged girls. They live in different parts of the US, in different kinds of families and are united by one thing: all four were adopted from China, because all four had birth parents who could not keep them, due to personal circumstances colliding with China's 'One Child Policy'. These strong young women allow us to grasp what it is like to come-of-age in today's America as trans-racial adoptees. At the same time, we see them as typical American teenagers doing what teenagers everywhere do…struggling to make sense of their lives.

China Care Bruin Buddies 2010-2011 - Registration Due Sunday, Oct 3

FCC-SoCal

China Care Bruin Buddies groupSince 2005, we has been coordinating a mentorship program with the China Care Bruins, a student-run group at UCLA.  Last year, more than 50 FCC children were paired with college student “Big Buddies.”  They participated in monthly Sunday afternoon get-togethers on the UCLA campus throughout the academic year.

We are delighted to announce that there are a few additional openings in the Buddy Program for the 2010-2011 academic year (October 2010 through May/June 2011).  We are continuing to offer two groups within the Buddy Program – the Little Buddies and the Youth Buddies.  Both run simultaneously on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 5 pm on the UCLA campus.  Parents check their kids in at one location and then the two groups will separate for age-appropriate fun.

Stellar Turnout for the SoCal Friends March in the Golden Dragon Parade

SoCal Friends

FCC-SoCal had a stellar turnout for the “Friends of FCC” activity to march in the Golden Dragon Parade on Saturday, February 20 in Chinatown! We more than doubled our participation from last year, with over 50 parents, children, and friends. 

Despite the threat of weather challenges (this was during the peak of the rainy season!), we had a nice, sunny day!  Click through to the full post to see additional photos of the memorable event.

Year of the Tiger Banquets a Big Success

FCC-SoCal

The Year of the Tiger roared into town with two banquets for FCC SoCal members and their guests on Feb 6th and 27th. Our annual tradition of gathering to celebrate and re-connect continued for its 13th year, though this time with a new committee at the helm. Many thanks to Jeri, Susan and Lee for making this a favorite event for so many years and giving the new bunch an easy template to follow.

Though the first banquet was smaller than in recent years with about 250 people, it was lovely to have a bit more elbow room and the opportunity to mingle with friends and actually hear them. The Lion Dance topped off the evening with a particularly thrilling performance with lots of interaction with the kids. Their high voltage energy led us all onto the bubble wrap for the loud dance of joy. Everyone had a huge grin on their faces watching the kids let loose with glee.

Campout Fun on Catalina Island

SoCal Friends

Fierce kids on CatalinaThe Catalina Island "Dark of the Moon" Weekend was great fun for the three families who participated - 3 little girls, 2 big brothers, their happy parents and one doting aunt.
 
Activities included a birthday celebration, volleyball, card games, endless relaxed conversations sitting on benches at Isthmus Harbor, walking all over the isthmus, and yes, stargazing on a very clear night.

It was an absolutely perfect and relaxing weekend - one that will be repeated next year along with, we hope, FCC Moon Festival mountain camping.