December 20, 2007
Go! See! Do!Holiday Wonders
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: War Memorial Auditorium, Greensboro Coliseum Complex,
1921 W. Lee St., Greensboro
Tickets: $38-$68
Information: 852-1100 in Greensboro; 722-6400 in Winston-Salem;
www.greensborocoliseum.com
Etc.: www.bestchineseshows.com
Since age 17, Chinese soprano Jiang Min has dedicated her life to developing
her talent and using it to keep her nation's artistic and cultural heritage
thriving.
It's been a daunting task. Besides dealing with the hardships that naturally
accompany the rigors of vocal training, Min also has had to contend with the
Chinese government, which has suppressed many of the arts that she strives to
keep alive.
"During the Communist reign, so much of the cultural, the authentic
cultural heritage has been lost, and that's why they're aiming to revive it
through 'Holiday Wonders' and the other performances in this series," Min
says, through a translator and UNC-Chapel Hill student, Yan Yan.
It was with that notion that New Tang Dynasty Television in New York City
organized a display of its own 5,000-year artistic and cultural tradition, first
in 2004 with the "Chinese New Year Spectacular" and then in 2006 with
the addition of its "Holiday Wonders" performance, which features Min
as one of the lead sopranos.
"The show represents traditional, authentic culture, not the one that's
tainted by communism," Min says.
Performed by more than 60 members of Divine Performing Arts, a troupe of Chinese
dancers, musicians and choreographers, "Holiday Wonders" tells of
legends and fables from various periods of China's past in an effort to keep
alive an artistic tradition pioneered by the Tang Dynasty 1,400 years ago.
"The international societies are celebrating different holidays like
Christmas, Hanukkah... , so on the surface it's a contribution to the rich and
diverse culture in the States and in the world, and also it is conducive to
cross-cultural understanding," Min says. "It fosters a sense of
appreciation for, first and foremost, Chinese history, but also for
understanding between different groups."
Since its creation, "Holiday Wonders" has been performed in more than
31 cities globally. Spreading its message of understanding and acceptance is one
that its performers and creators say isn't limited to the cultural melting pot
of America, but also it is intended to reach their home nation, whose Communist
regime began to outlaw such cultural performances since they took control in
1949.
To achieve their goal, the performers and technicians behind Holiday Wonders
have spared no expense to bedazzle their audience.
Each costume is meticulously designed and hand-crafted, and often times more
than 100 handmade costumes and accessories are designed for and used in a single
dance.
Likewise, the special effects wizards painting the show's digital landscapes do
their research to ensure that they're not simply drawing mountains but
recreating identifiable Chinese landscapes with historically accurate
architecture. Thus they create a performance that becomes the next best thing to
standing in the midst of an ancient civilization.
And for anyone afraid of feeling lost in translation, all dialogue is
accompanied by digitally displayed English subtitles.
A graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music and the China Conservatory of
Music, Min has trained her whole life for such performances, but she adds that
the performers must also go above and beyond the call of duty.
Beyond her lifelong training in music theory and vocal techniques, she's also
studied Chinese literature and history to better express song lyrics and convey
the emotion of each tale to the audience, adding that singers are required to
have a certain mastery of dance techniques.
Of the stories told in "Holiday Wonders," Min listed three as personal
favorites including "The Ladies of Manchu Court."
"It really reflects the courtly life of really proper ladies," she
said. "And then also, there's another one, another large-scale dance, about
a Chinese national hero, called Yue Fei."
The last dance she mentioned was a large scale depiction of the tale of Mulan,
the female warrior who's story inspired the 1998 Walt Disney film.
"Many say [the Tang Dynasty is] the zenith of China's culture and China's
history. The society of that day really reflects a high and pure morality, and
people tried to live their lives virtuously," Min said. "'Holiday
Wonders' aims to... convey to international audiences what true China is, what
the essence of the culture is.
http://www.gotriad.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/GTCOM01/136278238/
Category: Falun Dafa in the Media
