Sister Cities of Sarasota hosts Lunar New Year celebration

By Madison Bierl
| 1:45 p.m. February 20, 2026

Weizhen Jiang Wolf and Yuhong Wan of Zen Rhythm Dance Group perform a Mongolian Dance at the Lunar New Year Celebration.

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For Sarasota's Jennifer Ortiz, the music, colors, discipline and artistry were captivating at the Lunar New Year Celebration on Feb. 17.

But that isn't what made it special for her.

It was seeing her daughter, 5-year-old Amirah El Mohtar, completely mesmerized at each and every performance.

"We truly value exposing her to different cultures and traditions," Ortiz said. "It’s so important for children to grow up appreciating diversity."

The Lunar New Year Celebration was held at the Green at University Town Center and hosted by Sister Cities Association of Sarasota, which has six Sister Cities throughout the world.

From Feb. 17 to Feb. 5, 2027, it is the Lunar Calendar's Year of the Horse. It represents a period of independence and ambition.

A variety of dances, songs and martial arts pieces were performed by Mt. Song Martial Arts Academy, StarLite Dance Group, Tampa Sunshine Dance Group, Anna’s Dance Academy, Changkui Tang, Jie Yu, Zen Rhythm Dance Group of Sarasota and The Out-of-Door Academy.

Yuhong Wan was among the performers of Zen Rhythm Dance Group of Sarasota. They performed two times: “In Honor of a Star” and a Mongolian dance.

"When I stood on stage, I felt both nervous and thrilled but even more so happy and proud," "Seeing the audience’s attentive gazes and enthusiastic responses was incredibly touching."

Miles Toder, the president of Sister Cities Association of Sarasota, said he appreciated the level of people who attended, especially the children.

"We have a huge Asian-American presence across the United States and here in Florida, too," Toder said. "It's nice to see people of all ethnicities getting together and celebrating this Lunar New Year."

For Wan, the Lunar New Year symbolizes "a new beginning, family reunions, gratitude and hopeful expectations for the future."

"It is not only a traditional holiday, but also an important time to reflect on the past and welcome a new chapter," Wan said. "Most importantly, it represents sharing joy and blessings with family and the community."

Sabrina Qing of StarLite Dance Group performs to the song "The Joy of Life" at the Lunar New Year Celebration.

Sarasota's Amirah El Mohtar and Parrish's Maya Bui enjoy watching the performances and running around together even though they had never met before the Lunar New Year Celebration.

Changkui Tang performs "Pulling Out Reed Flowers" on the bamboo flue at the Lunar New Year Celebration.

Fengming Wei of Tampa Sunshine Dance Group performs an ethnic dance of the Zhuang and Dai people at the Lunar New Year Celebration.

Aiyun Zhu and Zhen Marchica of StarLite Dance Group dance to "The Butterfly Lovers" at the Lunar New Year Celebration.

Sarasota's Teresa Pimentel poses for a photo with a lion from Mt. Song Martial Arts Academy.

Members of the Mt. Song Martial Arts Academy from Tampa kick off the performances with a lion dance welcoming the year of the horse.

Weizhen Jiang Wolf and Yuhong Wan of Zen Rhythm Dance Group, along with their young friend Mohan Chen, socialize after all of the performances at the Lunar New Year Celebration.

Members from the Mt. Song Martial Arts Academy from Tampa perform a lion dance in costumes that symbolize warding off evil spirits and energy.

Ping Wang of Tampa Sunshine Dance Group performs an ethnic dance of the Zhuang and Dai people at the Lunar New Year Celebration.

Jie Yu performs Peking Opera, a 200-year-old traditional Chinese performance art, with the song "Ode to the Pear Garden."

Sister Cities Association of Sarasota's Kun Shi and Miles Toder, along with performer Jie Yu, are glad so many people came out to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Landon Nguyen, 14, and Mara Cardona, 10, of Mt. Song Martial Arts Academy in Tampa perform Kungfu at the Lunar New Year Celebration.

The Lunar New Year celebration by the Sister Cities Association of Sarasota was held on Feb. 17 at the Green at University Town Center. An estimated 400 people attended.

author

Madison Bierl

Madison Bierl is the education and community reporter for the East County Observer. She grew up in Iowa and studied at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University.