China Performing Arts Troupe Visits Boston
(The following article is taken from NACA Newsletter, No. 6, January 15,
1985)
On October 22-23, 1984, the China Performing Arts Troupe treated the Boston
audiences to a taste of some unusual performances. The troupe toured the
U.S. in the Fall of 1984 and gave numerous performances in several cities
of the U.S. Many of these performances were sponsored by NACA chapters.
It gave two performances in Boston, one held at the Kresage Auditorium of
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the other at the theatre
of the Mass College of Art.
China Performing Arts Troupe makes up of dancers, drama and opera performers,
and musicians from the Guangdong Opera House, Chongqing Song and Dance ensemble
and Chongqing Acrobatic Troupe. Some of the members in this group are well-known
to many Chinese-Americans, such as the Guangdong opera singers, Luo Pinchao
and Lin Xiaoqun. Others like Chen Ailian have performed repeatedly aboard
and enjoy high reputation for their artistry.
The twenty-two-member troupe arrived in Boston in the morning of October
22 (Monday) while the first performance was scheduled for the same evening.
The members had hardly a chance to rest before they had to uncrate the stage
equipments and rehearse for the stage set-up and lighting. That was in general
the type of tight scheduling this group had to work with during the weeks
they toured the U.S. The second performance was given at a different theatre
and all the stage set-up and lighting had to be repeated again. Only by
working closely with them can one appreciate the tremendous hardship that
they had to endure.
They brought with them a handsome repertoire. For instance, in dances there
were: The Latern Festival, depicting the people of Xiu Shan area in Sichuan
celebraing a good harvest in Mid-January; the Sword Dance, based on a dance
in the Tang Dynasty, rechoreographed for the verses of Du Fu's poem; The
Snake Dance; Song of the Wanderer; Spanish Dance; Water Dance, of the Dai
nationality; The Boat Tracker; The Panda Dance; Lisu Foot Dance; The Dance
of A Pair of Butterflies; and others. In the music section, there were Guangdong
operatic pieces, such as: the Temple of the Spriits of Mountains in Storm;
Ping Guei in a Sad Recall of His Wife; Surprised from the Dream When Wandering
in the Garden; Singing of the Tune with the Poems in Canton Style. Also,
there were vocal duets, flute solos, er-hu solos, and soprano solos. For
entertainments there were charming magic shows and mimicries. Approximately
twelve to fourteen pieces were included in each performance.
The Boston performances were co-sponsored by NACA-Boston, Chinatown People's
Progressive Association, Chinese Culture Institute, and the MIT Chinese
Student Club. Roughly, 1800 tickets priced at $12, $8, and $5 were sold
for the two performances. It is very likely that arts troupes of this type
from China will be touring the U.S. in the coming years. NACA chapters who
are interested in sponsoring performances should contact NACA National Office
for information. NACA-Boston is happy to share its experience in such activities
with other chapters.