If say An Lee, John Woo, Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Zhang Ziyi have
made a mark for China in Hollywood, the large and comprehensive
Festival of China to take place at the Kennedy Center for
Performing Arts in October will introduce the American public to
the cultural diversity that stems from China's 5,000 years of
history and 1.3 billion people.
Much more than a sampling of dim sum, the Kennedy Center, in
co-operation with China's Ministry of Culture, will present a
month-long, multi-course banquet offering cultural delicacies.
Some 900 of China's best and brightest musicians, dancers,
puppeteers, actors, directors, choreographers and acrobats will
showcase the energy and expression of contemporary Chinese culture
in the United States capital with unprecedented performances and
exhibitions.
"The festival will be the single largest celebration of Chinese
performing arts in American history," says Michael M. Kaiser,
president of Kennedy Center. "We feel that the eyes of the American
nation will focus on Washington DC this fall, as Americans from
across the country experience the impressive diversity of the
history and culture of China."
Kaiser had planned a festival to highlight the performing arts
of China when he came on board about four and a half years ago.
And after three years of hard work, Alicia Adams, Kennedy
Center's vice-president of International Programming and the
festival's curator has worked out a combination of the wonderful
traditional art and the current explosion of new talent that
pervades the Chinese artistic landscape.
"While some Washingtonians might still remember Nixon's historic
1972 visit to China, this country of 1.3 billion people has moved
into the 21st century at a breathtaking pace, and contemporary
China teems with enormous energy as it catapults toward the 2008
Beijing Olympics," says Adams.
On the programming of this festival, Adams says, "It is always a
delicate balance to try to present that which is true to the
culture and at the same time have it resonate and engage an
American audience. So I chose a mix of contemporary and
traditional, classical and modern, to present the breath of culture
in China and to engage many audiences for the performances."
"I hope that the audience will come away with a sense of the
multiplicity of cultures that exist in China," adds Adams who is
keen on cultivating in-depth appreciation of Chinese culture
amongst the American public and designed all the programmes to open
eyes, ears and minds.
"This is more than a performing arts festival. We offer free
weekend events for the entire family, from acrobatics to kit-flying
activities, a drumming extravaganza, film series, the re-creation
of Beijing market fairs at the Kennedy Center, and a photographic
display of Beijing. And you can see the Terracotta Warriors of the
Qin Dynasty some 2,000 years ago exhibited in the States Gallery,"
she says.
The Festival of China will officially begin on October 1, on the
occasion of the Chinese National Day, with a captivating opening
night performance, which also marks the beginning of "Beijing
Cultural Week" an exciting series of events celebrating the ancient
and thriving metropolis that is China's capital city.
Some of Beijing's leading performance ensembles in a dazzling
variety of Chinese folk music, dance, Peking Opera, costumes,
acrobatics, drumming and drama will perform on the opening
night.
The highlights of the "Beijing Cultural Week" also include
Charming Beijing: Photographs of the Chinese Capital; a multimedia
display of Beijing's preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games;
open-air marketplace of old Beijing; and kite making and flying
along the Potomac River.
During the festival, performers in dance, music, traditional
opera and contemporary theatre from Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an,
Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Taipei, along with Chinese artists based in
the United States, will present their craft.
(China Daily September 28, 2005)