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| Jilin Provincial Art Troupe |
The
Jilin Provincial Art Troupe extended the Chinese New Year celebrations when
they performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’
Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo a cultural show entitled Happy Chinese New Year. This show, highlighting Chinese culture
through music, song, dance, theater, and even magic tricks, was also in
commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the Philippine-China
Diplomatic Relations.
Following
the opening remarks from Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua, the show opened with
a lively dance number with the whole troupe wearing colorful costumes
representing the various regions of China .
All of the dances in fact, featured colorful and intricately designed costumes
and it was remarkable that the costumes were still able to showcase the
dancers’ elegant and clean lines.
The
dancers’ movements were refined and controlled, showing that they’ve had strong
classical training and were able to infuse the western classical with the
Chinese traditional. It was refreshing to see these dancers who did not need to
be wild and hysterical with their bumping and grinding to be considered good.
There
were also a handful of song numbers from Wang Qi and Chen Xin, who was also one
of the hosts for that evening. They first sang a Chinese song before surprising
the audience with a rendition of a Filipino folk song, Pen Pen de Sarapen for Wang Qi and Bahay Kubo for Chen Xin. The audience rewarded the two’s effort
with generous applause.
One
of the highlights of the show was the unique lion dance that not only had
handkerchief tricks but also a courtship between two lions that eventually lead
to the birth of three little cubs. This entertaining number actually won the
gold at the World Lion Dance Competition in Japan .
For
me, the main highlight and what brought the house down was the performance of
three pipa players. The instrument may be strange, the music may be unusual, but
the virtuosity of the main player (whose name I never found out) impressed the
audience to the point that they applauded even while the performance was going
on.
Watching
the various numbers of the show, I was transported decades ago when some local
television stations aired Chinese dramas and variety shows during Sundays. Catered
mostly to the Chinese population in the Philippines ,
it was considered odd for Filipinos to watch these programs since they were not
in any language most of us really knew. Fast forward to today, it is
encouraging to see how times have changed and how receptive Filipinos are right
now in performances that show a different culture.
The
Jilin Provincial Art Troupe’s Happy
Chinese New Year was presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China
and the Cultural Center Philippines .
