Artistic masks flashed onto the performer's face in the CUB Senior Ballroom Sunday evening.

The performance was a part of the Chinese New Year Gala hosted by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA). More than 550 people attended the event.

Other performances included singing, instrument playing and Kung Fu demonstrations. Each piece represented a different area of China.

“I tell you what, people missed a real treat if they didn’t understand and appreciate the changing of the faces,” President Elson S. Floyd said. “It was a great event.”

Floyd said his favorite part of the event was the face changing routine, to which he and several other guests gave a standing ovation.

The face changing performance originated in the southwest area of China and is a part of the Sichuan Opera, CSSA President Xun Xu said. The opera has a long history in China and is almost always performed by men.

“At the beginning I feel a little nervous,” said Jing Ke, the face-changing performer and fourth year doctoral student in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. “Later after several faces changing I feel confident and enjoyed it.”

Ke said it took her two years of practice to learn the technique. On stage she told the audience it was by chance that she found a teacher who was experienced in face changing. She went to the teacher’s home several times to convince him to take her as his student.

Ke came down from the stage and changed her mask as she shook the hands of front-row guests during her performance.

“I think of that before,” she said. “When we do face changing we need to perform that in front of people to let them see how quickly we practice.”

An aspect of the performance is coming down from the stage to the audience and demonstrating the speed of the mask change in front of them, she said. Ke changed masks a total of 10 times during her performance.

“(The event) is very successful,” Xu said. “For this kind of night, everyone celebrates with each other.”

Every chair the CSSA set out before the event were filled and many audience members had to stand.

“This gala is a mix of culture,” Xu said. “For the Chinese and the Western countries.”

Xu said he thought the performers gave the audience a memorable night. There is no way for him to choose his favorite performance of the evening because he enjoyed each one, he said.

“Having our students and staff there is just absolutely amazing,” Floyd said. “Happy New Year to all of our students.”