Talent Show

The talent show, which is part of the New Year celebration, has many of the young girls dress in elaborate costumes. They have very colorful dresses with beads and hats to match the color patterns. There are little boys dressed in white collared and very formal traditional costumes. The dance is part of the New Year celebration for everyone to enjoy, meet new people, to have fun.

An elite part of the talent show is the use of the Khaene. The Khaene (pronounced 'cane' and spelled qeej in translated Hmong) is a wooden bamboo instrument with a mouth organ. The most important part that the khaene instrument plays for the Hmong culture is during the funeral ceremony. The instrument is played repeatedly for many days; according to 'Moua Xoing', when the Khaene is played, it represents the souls of those who have passed away and cannot return to their descendants without the ceremony. The Khaene is also played at the New Year Festival and other special occasions. It can be played by single person or by a group; the more people playing it the better sounds it produces.

The Hmong flute is called Sao 'Raj'; it is another intricate part of the talent show. The Sao is a vertical flute pierced with finger holes. The Hmong Sao is a single flute with hard and colorful timber; the sound it produces are harsh and sweet. When the Sao flute is being played on stage, the music captures the hearts of the audience and the hearts of young girls.