Out of the darkness came a bejeweled purple and yellow dragon, snaking to the syncopated beat of the percussion.
Shaking, shimmying and prowling, it moved majestically toward the stage and was silenced after spewing lettuce at the audience.
The dragon dance kicked off the Chinese American Student Association's New Year's Celebration held in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom Sunday night.
The Chinese New Year traditionally celebrates 15 days of festivities that include a dragon dance, lantern festival and fireworks from methods perfected by the world's first pyrotechnics, said sophomore Phillip Cheng, a program coordinator for the event.
Drum rolls sounded as the audience of about 200 experienced a fusion of traditional Chinese customs with a contemporary twist that celebrated what it means to be Chinese-American.
Shuffling in behind the dragon came members of the Gainesville Chinese School.
The students sported yarn beards and toted banners that read "Happy New Year" in Chinese.
In a shadow-box puppet show, the children told the story of the defeat of a mythical monster by villagers wielding firecrackers.
The legend spawned the birth of the Chinese New Year.
"Every year one of the 12 signs of the Chinese animal zodiac is celebrated," Cheng said.
"This year is the year of the rat."
In the Chinese zodiac, the rat is a symbol of quick wit and a hard work ethic, he said.
Sounds of old China were blended with those favored by American youth with a graceful fan dance.
After the dance, performances to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," featuring the classic moonwalk, and Justin Timberlake's "My Love," were held.
Flying across the stage during its performance, UF's Meihua Student Association of Martial Arts grabbed attention with a choreographed kung fu fight.
Kung fu performer Jet Dong, a first-year graduate student, performed a duet nunchucks exhibition.
It took him years to perfect his nunchucks skills, which Dong said he polished for the show.
The evening was designed to celebrate the best of both worlds, said program coordinator Cheng.
"As Chinese-Americans, we consider ourselves American, but we never want to lose sight of our Chinese heritage," Cheng said.
