Highlight International Art Festival2025

2025 HIGHLIGHT INTERNATIONAL

ART FESTIVAL

Chief Planner/Producer

US HIGHLIGHT INTERNATIONAL ART CENTER FOUNDATION

HOSTS

US HIGHLIGHT INTERNATIONAL ART CENTER FOUNDATION

PREMIER PARTNERS ALLIANCE

The 2025 Highlight International Art Festival was grandly held on October 19 at the Lakeview Senior Center in Irvine. The festival was founded in 2024 by the US Highlight International Art Center Foundation. This year, it was jointly organized in collaboration with the Premier Partners Alliance and co-hosted by 8 institutions, including the American Southern California Economic and Culture Association and the Orange County Chinese Community Service.

Fashion Show（STEAM Girl Foundation — Modeling for Change）

Under the theme "An Artistic Journey Through Time and Space," the festival constructed a magnificent scroll spanning millennia and connecting East and West. Through displays of intangible cultural heritage, calligraphy, painting, song, dance, and martial arts performances, it was dedicated to showcasing the convergence and innovation of Chinese and Western cultures, and promoting community inclusivity and cultural integration.

The Legend of the Qin Dynasty

Solo: Brian Yan / Dancer: Catherine Zhang & Amber Xu / Sichuan Opera Face Changing: Jeremy Luan)

Peking Opera: Ode to the Pear Blossom (Solo：Gloria)

Qiyuan Fashion Show

Approximately 120 performers took the stage in splendid attire for the event. The festival attracted enthusiastic participation from artists, students, and families across Southern California, creating a vibrant atmosphere with a large audience. The stage program was diverse and spectacular, encompassing traditional Chinese face-changing, classical dance, Latin dance, Korean pop dance, and English songs, offering the audience an audio-visual feast that transcended linguistic and cultural boundaries.

The performance hall was bustling with activity.

Irvine City Councilmember Melinda Liu and the cast and crew

Congressman Dave Min sent congratulatory certificates to the organizers, co-organizers and 7 outstanding Youth Leaders of the 2025 Highlight International Art Festival, recognizing their efforts in promoting multicultural understanding and artistic excellence.

Irvine City Councilmember Melinda Liu (4th from right) and the hosts, Bob Ampe(1st from left) & Brian Yan (3rd from left), organizers, co-organizers and award-winning young leaders.

The 7 honored Youth Leaders are:

Brian Yan, Angela Van Velden, Yumika Nishimura, Yutong Zhang, Suri Li, William Qu and Ruiwen Yu

Irvine City Councilmember Melinda Liu attended the event, expressing her congratulations and support for the festival. She pointed out that Irvine is a city full of multiculturalism and inclusive spirit, with a large Chinese community. She stated, "We have a large Chinese population, but it is only with my term that we have a councilmember who can speak Chinese and understands Chinese culture for the first time. I hope to continue promoting cultural exchange, allowing the mainstream society to see and understand our culture."

Irvine City Councilmember Melinda Liu attended the event.

She also expressed her delight at being invited to the Highlight International Art Festival, witnessing performers from different ethnic backgrounds showcasing the beauty of multiculturalism through art, and extended her wishes for the event's success. She said, "Such events not only enrich the city's cultural life but also let the world see and hear us."

Irvine City Councilmember Melinda Liu presented congratulatory certificates to the organizers, co-organizers, and youth leaders

(L to R）Lily Li, Co-founder of the Highlight International Art Center, Melinda Liu, Irvine City Councilmember,

Dongping Huang President of the American Southern California Economic and Culture Association

Lily Li, the Co-founder of the Highlight International Art Center, first expressed sincere gratitude to all the guests who supported and participated in the festival. She stated, "This festival aims to celebrate the multiculturalism of our community and enrich everyone's artistic and spiritual lives. I hope that art is no longer just a distant hall to admire but can truly enter everyone's daily life, becoming a tangible experience close to life. For this festival, we encouraged all friends who love art to actively participate, bring their works to the stage and exhibition booths, and share their creative inspiration and passion with everyone. Let art become a beautiful force accessible and enjoyable for all."

Qiyuan Fashion 旗缘时尚

YOU & ME (Singers：迟云 & Bob Ampe)

Shaolin Kung Fu (OC Shaolin Kung Fu)

Huang Dongping, President of the first co-organizing institution, the American Southern California Economic and Culture Association, stated in an interview that she was very honored to participate as a co-organizer in hosting the second Highlight International Art Festival. She was also personally honored to participate in the performance as a dancer, presenting the Chinese classical dance "Half-Bottle of Yarn."

Half-Bottle of Yarn (Irvine Chinese performing Arts)

President Huang Dongping said, "This dance represents the elegant and gentle artistic conception of the Jiangnan water towns in Chinese culture and is also an important embodiment of traditional Chinese culture. Meanwhile, we are greatly honored to host the second Highlight Art Festival as the first co-organizer. Centered in Irvine and looking across the United States, we have gathered the community's literary and artistic talents, enriched community activities, and integrated art, life, and intangible cultural heritage, hoping to bring a richer life to the local Chinese community."

Shanghai (All Star Talent)

明月几时有 by Scarlett Fordham, Andrew Van Velden, Anthony Van Velden

The day's program was rich and colorful. It included not only traditional Chinese performances like face-changing and Peking opera but also passionate Latin dance, elegant classical dance, dynamic K-pop, and familiar Chinese and English songs. This fully showcased the artistic charm of different cultures.

Baby Monster (MOSCAA from American Chinese Street Dance Association - Youth Committee)

Maria Merengue (Lady Tracy 尔湾地产公益拉丁舞)

Tibetan Dance

On the Sunny Road (Duet：Cici / Sean Li)

You Raise Me Up (June Hou / James Li / Linda Gao)

GUO YIN CHUAN YUN 国音传韵合唱团

Tai Chi (Orange County Chinese Community Service)

Famous talk show comedian Yoyo

The event site was bustling with a lively atmosphere and large crowds. Various booths were exquisitely arranged with rich content, fully demonstrating the community's vitality and multicultural atmosphere. On-site, various booths provided residents with education, investment consulting, and convenient services. The traditional stone rubbing booth attracted many families to stop and experience, allowing children to feel the unique charm of Chinese culture through hands-on creation.

The Boya Academy booth showcased traditional Chinese intangible cultural heritage handicrafts.

Seedling Sun Foundation booth

MOSCAA from American Chinese Street Dance Association- Youth Committee

Furthermore, the event featured art and handicraft areas, intangible cultural heritage displays, and community interaction zones. Residents could not only enjoy wonderful performances from different cultural backgrounds but also personally participate in various experiential projects, feeling the beauty of the integration between art and life. The entire venue was filled with joy and warmth.

The Boya Academy booth was bustling with activity.

US Highlight International Art Center Foundation serves as a dynamic platform for international cultural exchange. It is committed to promoting in-depth dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperative exchange between Eastern and Western artistic traditions, continuously advancing the integration and development of global cultures, enriching humanity's spiritual and artistic world, and positioning art as a path for spiritual healing and personal growth. Through diverse cultural and artistic activities and programs, the Foundation showcases and celebrates the unique cultural flavors and charms from around the world.

When Classicism Meets Modernity

Intangible Cultural Heritage: Sichuan Opera Face-Changing

Martial arts has become a globally popular sport.

The Highlight International Art Center provides an international stage for young artists from different countries and ethnicities to showcase their talents. The Foundation firmly believes that art possesses a powerful cohesive force and can serve as a bridge connecting people. Therefore, it actively promotes art as a force that unites communities, connecting youth, seniors, and families, with particular attention to those facing special challenges.

A senior citizen from the community became the lucky winner in the raffle.

Simultaneously, the Foundation actively promotes inclusive art education, providing more personalized learning and creative opportunities for children with special needs, helping them discover and cultivate their own creative potential.

Exhibition booth for artwork by children with special needs

The Highlight Art Youth Club consists of over 250 middle and high school students from Orange County. With their outstanding artistic talent, passion, and sense of responsibility, they actively participate in various community public service activities. Members of the Youth Club not only showcase their talents on the artistic stage but also care for the community through practical actions, providing help and support to seniors and special needs families, becoming a young force connecting art and public welfare.

2025 Highlight International Art Festival received warm support and dedicated assistance from all sectors of society. Special thanks were extended to the co-organizing units: the American Southern California Economic and Culture Association, Orange County Chinese Community Service, ModelingFor Change, Seedling Sun Foundation - California Chapter, NishimuLa Medical SPA, Irvine YOYO Piano Studio, Golden Sunshine Academy, and All Star Talent, for jointly providing solid support for the successful holding of the event.

Meanwhile, the Festival also received strong support from numerous sponsoring organizations, including Noble Academy, Irvine Real Estate Lady Tracy Team, Feida Education, Fantuan Delivery, Ugrow Education, ACSDA Youth Committee, Guoyin Chuanyun, OC Shaolin, and the BOB AMPE Real Estate Team. All sectors joined hands to contribute to creating a wonderful and culturally significant event that uniting community strength.

Art Without Borders, Unity in Diversity —
The 2nd Highlight International Art Festival Shines in Irvine

艺术无界共融共美第二届「华彩国际艺术节」在尔湾璀璨登场

An Artistic Journey Through Time and Space

Meet Our Youth Team

Brian Yan

Planner, Publicity Director & Performance Organizer,

Founder and President of US Highlight International Art Center Foundation.

Catherine Zhang

Fashion Show Director & Performance Organizer,

Founder and President of Modeling of Change.

Angela Van Velden

Performance Organizer.

Suri Li

Performance Organizer,

Founder and President of Seedling Sun Foundation - California Chapter, President of American Chinese Street Dance Association (ACSDA) Youth Committee.