Dressed in jewel tones that glimmered with gold thread, the Tibetan dancers made for a lovely vision at the first Moon Festival organized by the Chinese and American Cultural Association at St. Bernard High School.

Seven young girls, ages 14 to 18, performed a traditional Tibetan dance that was charming and uplifting at the Sept. 30 festival. The dancers moved delicately and waved their arms expressively to the lyrical and rhythmic score of the music.

The dance arose from a group of Montville High School students who are all studying at the English as a Second Language Center and come from Tibet. One young woman, Jiangyang Wangmu, taught the dance to the other students. Wangmu said it was a dance she learned by observing in Tibet, and it was Wangmu who started the festival by singing a song of welcome to the crowd gathered in the school's auditorium.

"I like to sing and dance," said Wangmu, who came to the United States in 2008. "I like to let people know about Tibetan culture because most people don't know much about it," she added.

Wangmu and her fellow dancers wanted people to know that Tibetan and Chinese cultures are very different. "We wear different clothes, we speak a totally different language," said Wangmu.

Wangmu and her friends were sitting on the edge of their seats when a traditional Chinese dance was performed by the Asian Performing Arts, their lilting grace captivating, as were the scarves they billowed in the air. The props could also be switched to fans with the scarves attached, eliciting ooohs from Wangmu and her friends.

Organizers of the event, John Wong of Montville and son Hallie of Windsor Locks, said they put on the Moon Festival to showcase Chinese culture and raise support for their nonprofit group, which assists the Chinese community with issues like the immigration process, voter registration and education.

The group has put on a Chinese New Year for the past three years, said Hallie Wong, but this year wanted to do something different, especially since both casinos celebrate Chinese New Year.

"The main thing is to try to eliminate barriers - to bridge the cultures and enlighten people about different cultures," Hallie Wong said.

He noted that events like the Moon Festival were good venues for second-generation Chinese to appreciate the arts and culture of their heritage.

The Chinese Moon Festival is a major holiday for the Chinese, and is celebrated by billions of people. The festival is often associated with dancing, moon gazing and feasting - some compare it to the American Thanksgiving. One of its hallmarks is the delicate moon cakes. Held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar moon, the festival often features family reunions as well as poems about the moon and moon-gazing.

For the audience, this Moon Festival was about the arts, from the beguiling dance to a spectacular display of martial arts and a slow, but suspenseful tai chi performance with a sword. The martial arts students came from Malee's School of Tai chi and Kung Fu in Manchester, and two types of kung fu were on display, said James Potvin of Dayville. Performances included traditional kung fu associated with combat as well as what is known as wushu kung fu, which is more flowery and acrobatic.

Kung fu, said Potvin, is a good cultural ambassador for China, as it has been in existence for more than 4,000 years.

For Gary Tedford of Montville it was a impossible to pick a favorite performance. "I like all of them," he said, gazing out at the martial arts. "The whole cultural experience is amazing to watch."

Tedford is the son-in-law to John Wong and is also a member of the Sons of the American Legion, Post 112, which helps the Chinese & American Cultural Assistance Association.

Tedford noted that the turnout was disappointing for the event, and explained the Moon Festival was held on the actual holiday, which could have accounted for the smaller crowd, as many Chinese families celebrate the holiday at home.

And although John Wong agreed the crowd, which some estimated at about 50 - compared to their crowd of 300 they attracted for Chinese New Year - was not what they expected, he still expressed pleasure it was a start of a new tradition for the organization.

"People are enjoying the show," said Wong.