e-card for Chinese Spectacular 2008 Vancouver Canada

24 Hours: Celebrating ancient China

By 24 HOURS NEWS SERVICES, Jan. 3, 2007-

It’s a snapshot of the millennia of artistic China, a global cross-cultural pageant of a concert that in the next three months will be seen by 100,000 people globally.

It is the Chinese New Year Spectacular, a highly-charged, vividly-coloured entertainment of dragons, drums, dance and costumes, plus vocals and instrumentalists. And, true to its multi-cultural mission, it also includes some ballet of the western variety.

In Vancouver for a second year, a matinee has been added to the one-day event at the 2,500-seat Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The aim of the show’s sponsor, New Tang Dynasty TV, is to expose society to traditional cultures, according to Patrick Dong, show coordinator and NTDTV executive director in Vancouver.

“It is a truly cross- cultural event suitable for all the family,” he added. Central to the show is the belief that China’s ancient culture was a gift from the heavens and so deserves its “land of the divine” accolade underscored by the themes of love, compassion and virtue in the triumph of good over evil.

The Chinese New Year Spectacular is at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre tonight with a 2 p.m. matinee and evening performance at 8.

Tickets, from $30, at 604-683-2202 and www.ticket.ntdtv.com/Vancouver.

( read from the 24 Hours Vancouver website )

Vancouver Sun: Year of Pig offers performance feast

Lloyd Dykk, Vancouver Sun, Tuesday, January 02, 2007-

CHINESE NEW YEAR SPECTACULAR

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Wednesday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

$30 - $80

604-628-0303 (Chinese)

604-628-1620 (English) or 604-280-4444 (Ticketmaster)

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According to the Chinese calendar it is the Year of the Pig coming up, which signifies good fortune, kindness, honesty and tolerance. And you may want to feast on the entertainment of the second annual Chinese New Year Spectacular when it comes to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for two shows Wednesday.

It sounds like the sort of extravaganza you’d normally see just a few blocks away at the Centre for Performing Arts in Vancouver: A celebration of what’s known as China’s golden age, the Tang Dynasty, a remarkable time in China’s 5,000-year history.

The three-century-long Tang, with present-day Xi’an as its then most populous city in the world, reached a high point of cosmopolitan culture and prosperity, largely the result of military exploits. From this show, purportedly based on the Tang, you can expect epic tales, dragons, drummers and beautiful dances from about 100 young performers in all, most of them overseas Chinese who live in New York. But it might be a good idea to try to see the Tang through a 21st-century filter.

In its four years of existence the show seems to have been a success, growing from appearances in five cities at its beginning to this year’s 28 cities across four continents, a run that will total 67 performances. (In Canada it goes to Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto after the Vancouver appearance.)

It’s put together in New York in a production by New Tang Dynasty Television, based in New York. It was ranked No. 7 in Billboard magazine’s top 10 shows in 2006, based on shows that ran last year at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. (… read more from Vancouver sun’s report )

The Mystery of Chinese Culture & Art

The following story can help to shed some light on the mystery:

Once there was an art dealer who had a painting that depicted a young farm boy leading a horse across a bridge. The boy was facing the horse, his body leaning back, and he looked like he was exerting great effort.

One day a buyer came in and had to have this painting. However, he didn’t have enough money on him to buy this rather expensive artwork right away. So he asked the dealer to hold the painting for him while he went home to get the funds.

As the seller took the painting down, he noticed it was missing the rope the boy should have been using to lead the horse. Without much thought, he picked up an ink brush and added a rope to fix this apparent flaw in the painting.

When the buyer came back and saw the new rope, he was terribly upset. He told the dealer: “I was only willing to spend so much on this painting because of the rope that wasn’t seen but could still be felt!” 

Asian-themed performances like NTDTV’s Holiday Wonders or the Chinese New Year Spectacular offer an entirely new experience for many Westerners, partly because they are so different from the more typical, narrative-driven, performing art forms. They ask something different from the audience – a slight shift in expectations, a shift in sensibility.

The appreciation for what is implied rather than what is in plain sight sets Asian art apart from Western art. Traditional Chinese dance, for example, is less precise and strict in form than its Western counterpart, ballet. It is because it attempts to evoke a different sort of feeling. Like a glass of claret with its subtle undertones, this kind of dance leaves room for the imagination while leaving a lasting impression.

The more something is described in a concrete way, the smaller the range it covers. For example, the phrase “hot water” describes not only water but its temperature, so although “hot water” is more specific than “water,” it precludes “warm water,” “cold water,” and other kinds of water and is therefore more limited. Perhaps this is why so much of Chinese art seems to speak in generalities. Ink landscape paintings with their broad brush strokes and wide swaths intentionally left blank are particularly hard for the Western eye to grasp. These paintings can often seem vague and unclear, but to the discerning viewer, each brush stroke speaks volumes.

The same holds for the Chinese language — known for being extraordinarily concise and yet also rich and descriptive precisely because it is so succinct. Indeed, many Chinese words and proverbs contain concepts that could take paragraphs to explain in another language.

The NTDTV holiday shows seem to have struck a balance between the more refined traditional dance forms and the simple pleasures of rousing music, impressive large scale dances with dozens of dancers moving in synch, and, of course, gorgeous costumes and backdrops.

The shows offer enough new flavors to be intriguing without being overly foreign. The more subtle elements may be lost on many in the audience, but their presence nonetheless enriches the entire performance for everyone.

Ultimately, stories of grace and virtue told through song and dance will speak to us all forever. ( Original from NTDTV website )

Up Close with Dancer and Choreographer Vina Li

newyeargala.ntdtv.com-

The audiences of the 2005 NTDTV Global Chinese New Year’s Gala were delighted by performances of “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea,” a large-scale work that combined dance and opera. The unique personalities of the eight immortals were vividly portrayed in the opera. With grace and charm, Vina Li performed the role of the Immortal He.

Vina Li was a member of the preparation committee, and was the choreographer and a dancer for the 2006 NTDTV Gala. She is assuming the same roles for the 2007 event, renamed the Chinese New Year Spectacular.

Vina was born with a love for dancing. At age 12, she was selected to enter a professional dance company. In 1984, she was admitted to Beijing Ballet Institute for advanced training. She moved to Australia one year after her graduation.

The Epoch Times recently interviewed the beloved dancer. Excerpts of the conversation follow:

Epoch Times: Can you please tell us your understanding about the dance programs in NTDTV Gala?

Vina: Many audiences have found everything on our stage to be totally new and refreshing. This is probably because they are unfamiliar with our programs, and such unfamiliarity is due to the fact that there is nothing to compare them with. People nowadays are so stressed that even subjects in different art forms seem to be panicking and struggling. In contrast, what we are showing is refreshing and uplifting. You feel comfortable when you watch our shows.

ET: Are there any improvements from the 2006 Gala?

Vina: We spent more effort in collective dance programs, and audiences will notice a big improvement. As a matter of fact, it is important that we always bring up new things in costume, staging, color, music, choreography and performers.

ET: Having a unique personality is usually stressed with artists. Do you have any difficulty in working with other people in performing the group dances?

Vina: If you are humble with other people, then it is easy. Each person has his own knowledge, understanding and perspective, and the ways of expression are also different. I truly feel that everyone’s ideas are important, and if I give them a chance, other people’s ideas may be better than mine.

The arts are usually about self-expression. On the contrary, we are not expressing ourselves in the NTDTV’s Gala, but presenting the essence of the Chinese culture to our audiences.

ET: Are there differences between contemporary performances in Mainland China and NTDTV’s programs?

Vina: There are many good performers in Mainland China. As individuals, they have a high level of artistic skill. But you may notice that when you go to a show, or to appreciate artwork, what really moves you or touches the depths of your soul is not totally the format or the ways of expression, as skills and tools are not everything. In fact, especially between performers and audiences, the spiritual communication is the real reason why audiences are moved. Some people feel very depressed after watching one show, but very happy after watching another show. This is the spiritual communication.

Every artist, performer, and creative staff of NTDTV’s Spectacular devotes themselves to the effort and wants to bring joy to the audience. If you do this just for money and fame, or just want to finish something, or if you are forced to perform, your performance would be very different from the one that is from the pure heart or when you really want to do it.

ET: Many in the audiences said they were greatly moved after watching the shows. Some performers believe that to move others you have to move yourself first. Does your heart get moved when performing?

Vina: Let me give you an example. Last year, I was a dancer for “Plum Blossom.” I hadn’t performed on stage for about 10 years and there was not enough practice time before the show. Besides, I assumed many roles of a dancer, choreographer, and some managerial tasks, so I was very tired and stressed.

I remember that when we had a full rehearsal before the official opening, I almost fainted and felt weak when it was time for the dance program “Plum Blossom.” When I heard the music of the program, the tenacious and unyielding image of the Falun Gong practitioners under brutal persecution in Mainland China suddenly came to my mind. The image of the plum blossom standing in the snow and ice storm personify the most tenacious human character in adverse circumstances. When I was too tired to stand up, I felt a strong force which suddenly supported my backbone, and helped me stand there firmly. Such a good state cannot be described with human language. I was greatly shocked.  I didn’t feel I was dancing, or showing something to someone. In fact, I felt I myself was the beneficiary.

As a matter of fact, the arts have given me a lot, and it is not me to present myself or how I would get the audience moved. In fact, the audience and I are all beneficiaries.

Flyer e-card : 2007 Chinese New Year Spectacular in Vancouver

Related:

Video: Chinese New Year Spectacular coming back to Vancouver

 

Video: Chinese New Year Spectacular 2007 coming back to Vancouver

These years, The Chinese New Year Spectacular globe tour show become an important platform for people living outside China celebrating the Chinese New Year and appreciating Chinese traditional culture and arts, which featuring world-class performances of both Chinese and Western traditional artistry.

“The performance was absolutely stunning. The Chinese costumes wore by the dancers were gorgeous and the choreography is exceptional.” Said on Houston Chinatown Web site.

Have a look at the video then you will find out what does it mean.

For the year 2007, Vancouver is the first stop for the globe tour show, and it’s the 2nd year for the Spectacular to come back.

It’s an truly events not to be missed. The reason:

- Top 7th International Show, ranked byUS Billboard Magazine, in Feb. 2006
- Top theater, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, downtown, Vancouver
- Holiday time: 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm, Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007
- Best price: start from $30.0 CAD

Chinese people believe their ancient culture was a gift from the heavens, so much so that traditional Chinese culture is often simply referred to as the culture of “the land of the divine.” The Lunar New Year, in particular, is a time of reflection and paying tribute to ones ancestors and to the heavens.

This is an great oppurtunity for you, the Vancouverites, to spend the Christmas/New Year holiday on, with your family/your friend/the one you love, to enjoy, to share, with all other people around the world.

Event: 2007 Chinese New Year Spectacular

Time: 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm ( two shows a day)

Date: Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007

VENUE: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
600 Block Hamilton St. (Hamilton @ Georgia Street)
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6B 2P1

PRICES & SEATING CHART

Regular: $30 $40 $50 $60(Sold out) $80 (Sold out) (plus $2 Theatre Facility Charge)

Group Tickets:

Number of Tickets	Discount
6-10	10% off
11 - 20	15% off
21 - 50	20% off
51 or more	25% off

HOW TO BUY TICKETS

Call Ticket Hotlines
604.280.4444 (Ticketmaster)
604.683.2202
604.628.1620 (English)
604.628.0303 (Chinese only)

Order Online
Ticketmaster

NTDTV Official Ticketing System

For details, please check: Chinese New Year Spectacular (Vancouver) official website

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!