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China’s Liaoning Ballet Debuts Mulan in NYC

2019-11-25

CHINA TODAY 2019年10期

Chinas Liaoning Ballet Debuts Mulan in NYC

Chinas Liaoning Ballets debut of its original Mulan was presented at Lincoln Center on August 23 with a brand-new interpretation of the well-known Chinese heroine.

Featuring a nice blend of the traditional Western form of art and a famous Chinese story, Mulan, with top-tier ballet skills, excellent choreography, and splendid stage and costume design, amazed some 2,000 spectators at the David H. Koch Theater. Many Chinese elements, such as Kung Fu and Chinese folk dance moves, added a unique and authentic taste to the ballet.

The shows biggest selling point for Western audiences is the main character, a Chinese heroine who replaced her ailing fathers place in the army by disguising herself as a man some 1,600 years ago. She has been a household name in the United States since 1998, when a namesake Disney animated film became the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year and made Mulan a role model for thousands of girls.

Established in 1980, Liaoning Ballet stands out as one of the top five ballet companies in China. It has been dedicated to original Chinese ballet productions, and its members have won numerous awards at home and abroad throughout the decades.

Yu Chuanya, who plays Mulan in the show, said that it has been the most challenging role in her career so far. “I have to demonstrate her softness as a woman and valiance as a soldier at the same time.”

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Wows Edinburgh Audience

The 140-year-old Shanghai Symphony Orchestra(SSO) mesmerized spectators on August 19 with a stunning concert marking the debut of a Chinese orchestra in the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), the worlds leading performing art event.

The concert featured both Chinese and Western musical pieces, including the opening piece by leading Chinese composer Chen Qigangs Wu Xing (The Five Elements) and Dmitry Shostakovichs Symphony No. 5 in D minor. Renowned American cellist Alisa Weilerstein collaborated with the group by preforming Dvoraks Cello Concerto in B minor.

The concert ended with the Beautiful Night, a piece of traditional Chinese music, winning rounds of applause and cheers by more than 2,000 spectators who packed the famous Usher Hall.

This year marks the 140th anniversary of SSO. During the past decades, while performing classical Western music, the orchestra has made great efforts to create Chinese musical pieces to showcase the profound Chinese culture to a global audience.

The Edinburgh International Festival, which was created in 1947, has presented breathtaking performances from some of the best musicians and artists that the world has had to offer.

Chinese Cultural Exhibition Kicks off in Morocco

A cultural exhibition featuring the civilization of the ancient Chinese Shu Kingdom (221-263) kicked off in the Moroccan capital Rabat on September 3 with nearly 100 guests attending the opening ceremony.

“Mysterious Ancient Shu Kingdom: Sanxingdui and Jinsha Cultural Exhibition” was organized jointly by China Cultural Center in Rabat, Sanxingdui Museum, and Chengdu Jinsha Site Museum, and lasted till September 29.

During the exhibition, visitors were able to see 12 pieces of replicas of representative cultural relics unearthed from the Jinsha site and Sanxingdui, such as bronze masks and the gold foil of Sun God Birds. There were also opportunities to learn more about the mysterious ancient kingdom through digital-interactive means such as VR glasses.

After the opening ceremony, Xiao Xianjin, former curator of the Sanxingdui Museum, and Yao Fei, deputy curator of the Jinsha Site Museum, gave a lecture on the ancient civilization.

Yao said that since the 20th century, major archaeological discoveries of the Sanxingdui and Jinsha sites have been dominated by a large number of bronzes, goldware, jade, pottery, ivory, and other cultural relics with unique shapes and strong regional features.

The ancient Shu Kingdom is a representative of the early civilization of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Activity

NCPA Pure Classical 2019: London Symphony Orchestra

Dates: October 3, 2019

Venue: National Center for the

Performing Arts

Price: RMB 380, 580, 780, 980, 1280, 1580, 1880

The London Symphony Orchestra is bringing the greatest music to the greatest number of people. This is at the heart of everything that it does. This commitment to serve music and the people who love music is born of a unique ethos developed over more than a century ago. Established in 1904 by a number of Londons finest musicians, the orchestra is a self-governing musical collective built on artistic ownership and partnership.

NBA Shenzhen Games 2019

Date: October 12, 2019

Venue: Shenzhen Universiade Center

Price: RMB 350, 800, 1200, 1600, 2600,3600, 10888, 12888, 18888

The NBA China Games 2019 will be the NBAs 27th and 28th games in China, with 17 NBA teams having played games in Beijing, Guangzhou, Macao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Taipei since 2004. The NBA China Games 2019 will feature two preseason games between the 16-time NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets.