The Chinese Year of the Horse kicked off in Laguna Woods with a lively presentation of music and songs, dance and fashions, at Clubhouse 5.
A crowd estimated at 500 packed the Main Lounge on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, to enjoy the Spring Festival Gala and to welcome the Chinese New Year.
The show, sponsored by the Chinese American Club, also featured raffle prizes, box lunches, red bean cakes and traditional red envelopes containing crisp $2 bills for luck and prosperity.
“This is the most important festival in Chinese culture, one that regions with significant numbers of overseas Chinese populations all celebrate,” said Irene Cheng, a past president of the Chinese American Club.
In keeping with the spring theme, the festive morning began with the Dream Chorale’s lively renditions of “Blessing of Blessings” and “Spring Breeze Kisses my Face,” followed by a dance by the Golden Girl Dance Group to the tune of “Drumming Up Spring.”
Mistress of Ceremonies Cathy Chang then introduced David Zhang performing the dragon dance “Soaring Dragon, Rising Higher with Every Step.”
In Chinese culture, dragons, besides being symbols of general good fortune, are said to control rainfall, water being a necessity for successful agriculture.
After the dragon dance, the audience took in a fashion show featuring a collection of red dresses with gold decorations, presented by the Irvine Lirenzing Qipao Fashion Group, and a charming dance titled “Eighty Pairs of Beauties Celebrating the Remaining Years,” choreographed by Teresa Yang and Ling Tu.
True to the title, the troupe featured dancers in their 80s.
“They radiate positive energy. One lady is celebrating her 83rd birthday today, and another is 87,” said Cheng. “One lady dancing is 83 and has recently had two knee replacements and wants to show everyone that she’s not handicapped.”
Cheng described “The Fragrance of Apples,” presented by the Village Dance Group, as a story revolving around life memories and a longing for home, and the duet dance of Yiaorong Han and David Zhang, titled “Love Song of Kangding,” as a love story that originated in Tibet. “Sleepless Night,” danced by the April Sky Dance Team, also elicited sentimental emotions.
The performances also included “Spring Homecoming,” a Korean dance performed by the Golden Girl Dance Group, and the songs “Good Wishes” and “My Heart,” played by the Yizhuang/Aiyue Harmonica Orchestra.
The New Wave Line Dance Club, whose members sported cowboy headgear, chimed in with “Johnnie Walker Blues,” and Cathy Chang sang, “I Could Have Danced All Night” in Mandarin.
In the Xinjiang dance “Kashgar’s Ladies,” performed by the Golden Girls Dance Group, some music lovers may have sensed a slight Middle Eastern influence
The horse got its due in two captivating performances, the dance “Hua Mulan Joins the Army,” performed by the Fine and Cypress Club, and “Emperor Kangxi Purchases a Horse,” in which Rose Fan told the story of the emperor’s noble steed in Mandarin.
Fan, the newly elected president of the Chinese American Club, appeared to steal the show as the audience reacted enthusiastically.
“Rose is vice president of entertainment; she is very talented,” said Cheng, who was born in the year of the ox.
The horse is part of Chinese astrology, which cycles through 12 signs represented by different animals. Along with the animals, there are five elements: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. The repeat span of animals is 12 years, meaning that the last year of the horse was in 2014.
In China, horses are said to be confident, agreeable, and responsible, but they also tend to dislike being reined in by others. They are fit and intelligent, liking physical and mental exertion. They’re decisive but also easily swayed and impatient.
Cheng said this is also the year of the fire horse, which occurs every 60 years and gives the sign more intense meanings besides those of a regular horse.
After the performance, Han, born under the sign of the rooster, said she felt inspired by the happiness new year celebrations bring.
“It’s our present to the audience,” she said.