New York Chinese Cultural Center performance at David Rubinstein Atrium/Lincoln Center
June 4th, 2013 by Mr. C
Last weekend, Meet the Artist Saturdays at Lincoln Center hosted a fun program for adults and kids as performers from the New York City Chinese Cultural Center demonstrated a diverse set of asian dance, arts, & culture including a traditional peking opera set: In search of the Real Monkey King! Traditional dances from Tibet, Mongolia, and China were also on the set list! We were treated to a rare performance of the Face-Change dance as well. Before the program started, children in the audience had fun at the crafts table making their own Monkey mask to be worn after the show as the Monkey King performer showed the kids a few dance moves from the agile one from the forest! The event was opened with a performance of traditional Chinese folk music.
(Hillary M. Plate – Meet the Artist/Lincoln Center)
Hillary M. Plate, the Assistant Director of the Meet the Artist program introduced this wonderful event to help celebrate asian culture in anticipation of the Monkey King: Journey to the West – Live Performance at Lincoln Center from July 6-28th! It’s a limited engagement – 27 shows only! This Monkey King performance promises a high-octane circus with jaw-dropping gymnastics, jugglers, trapeze artists, contortionists, & Kung fu fighters! Find out more about the event HERE!
(Cathy Hung – New York Chinese Cultural Center)
Cathy Hung, the Executive Director of the NYC Chinese Cultural Center was on-hand to introduce their performers.
(The Monkey King)
(The Monkey King teaching the kids a few moves)
(Kids at the craft table designing monkey masks)
(Kids with their monkey masks on in preparations to learn a few moves from the Monkey King!)
The Face-Change dance originates from Sichuan opera and performers where bright colored costumes with multiple masks. The mask changes happen at the swipe of an arm and the different colors of the mask represent various emotions.
Fan dance highlights the movements and poses of the dancers. Fans can be made from feathers, silk, & paper.
Xinjiang dance is a dance from the Xianjiang region of China which is located in the Northwest. which features landscapes of mountains and deserts. The xinjiang people portray their elegance in their postures with intricate hand and arm movements with buoyant steps. This particular dance represents their daily life.
Tibetan dance symbolizes their spiritual life often using buddhism as a stance to fight against nature and their enemies. This particular dance exemplifies their daily life.
Mongolian bowl dance demonstrates the intricate shoulder, wrist, & arm movements. Mongolians are also known for their hospitality in their culture. See if you can see it emit from this dance!
The Red Ribbon dance symbolizes happiness and good luck in chinese culture.
The Monkey King dance is a traditional chinese opera dance which imitates monkey behavior combined with martial art movements. This dance shows us the Monkey King’s journey to the west as he discovers an imposter!
(All photos and videos by mr. c)
Tags: asian dance, chinese culture, monkey king
Posted in community, mr. c, music, photos, theatre | Comments (0)
