
Fair and Festivity (Beating
of drums)
This is adopted form traditional Southern Chinese drum
and gong show. The giant drums, lined in a half-circle,
introduce fast and various rhythms with the gongs, sometimes
exhilarating, sometimes high, sometimes low. A unique
characteristics of this program is that bold shouts
are added to express exuberance in the performance.
Flight to Heaven (Dragon Dance)
Since old times the Chinese consider the dragon as a
symbol of “good fortune”. A dragon in the midst of clouds
was seen as an expression for blessings on earth.
The elegant, yet complicated movements of a dragon will
arouse enthusiasm at any festivity. At slow pace the
movements are elegant, at faster pace they are cheerful
and natural and at fast pace they get unleashed. The
overlapping of ups and downs, the mutual completion
of tension ad relaxation shows the masterly philosophy
of the dragon dance.
A Night Tour of the Dragon Place
(Divine dragon)
As gold sparking lights blaze in the darkness, it is
the fire dragon dancing in flickering light, from place
to place, descending from the skies, an omen of good
luck….
The Dragon Spirit in this performance is created through
the modern “black light theater” technique, thus the
specially designed dragon body sparkles and flickers
in the darkness. The dancing dragon is hidden behind
the stage, hence the audience can only see the meandering
undulations of the dragon’s body tumbling after the
dragon ball in the air. The vision of the Dragon Spirit
reemerging creates an awe-inspiring spectacle to the
audience.
Acrobatic Lion Dance (Dance
on poles)
Lion (awake) dance is a traditional Cantonese variety
show. When celebrating the spring or other festivals,
it is often presented. The lion dancers use agile and
smart moves to execute intricate and awesome steps.
Two dancers wear a lion’s skin to be a lion. Before
they do the leaping steps, the lions act out many emotions:
delight, anger, sadness, exhileration, surprise, doubt,
greed and worry. The lions then leap up and down uneven
wooden posts, showing smart movements in difficult and
awesome steps. This is always a most memorable performance
for the audience.
Evil-busters with Divine Power
(Eight generals)
This interesting acrobatic display is the mysterious
dance of the Eight Generals that is usually performed
at the head of a parade. The Eight Generals who dance
and display martial art skill during the procession
are the “police of the underworld.” During temple celebration
festivities, they act as the guards protecting the gods.
Marching ahead to open a path for the gods, they exude
an electrifying presence.
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