The Chinese Students and Scholars Association(CSSA) is planning a Lunar New Year Gala which is on Feb. 18.

One portion of the gala is a talent show performed by Iowa State students. The audition for the talent show was held on Jan. 27 and attracted many talented participants.

Ziqing Ye, sophomore in supply chain Mmanagement, and Jenna Sandquist, senior in music, performed a popular Chinese song “One is the Fall, the Other is the Summer” for the audience and the judges.

“My friend and I started a Chinese language club last year, and she suggested we audition for this talent show. I think it’s a good idea, and we can tell people about our club,” Sandquist said.

Yanglong Wang, freshman in mechanical engineering, did a beatbox routine as his entry for the audition. He has been beatboxing for seven years.

Zhelei Chen, senior in architecture, sang a soft Chinese love song at the audition. He said this is his last year at Iowa State and wants to make some “last-minute” memories in a place he has stayed for four years.

Yue Lu, senior in psychology, and Zhuoyu Zhang, freshman in sociology, rapped a song called “Box Chevy.”

“I studied really hard last year. For the beginning of this semester I just want to do something different,” Lu said. “I love everything about hip-hop, and I hope I can make the whole crowd feel pumped when I perform on the gala stage.”

The final list of performances will be up on Feb. 10.

Some of the performances are chosen by the judges at the open audition on Jan. 27, the others are selected by CSSA members in a closed audition.

Huanyue Wang, vice president of CSSA, said the preparation is on its last step, which is rehearsal, lighting and sound.

“Some of the performances require four or five light changes within four minutes, so we are trying to do a good job at communicating with the lighting technician,” said Wang. “The organizers and performers are both nervous and excited at this point, but I think people are goanna love it. Before February 18, all performers will rehearse and get familiar with the stage.”

This year’s Lunar New Year Gala will take place at 5 p.m. on Feb. 18 in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. It’s free for everyone.