BARD IN CHINA PRESENTS A PERFORMANCE OF BEIJING OPERA BY THE YEH YU CHINESE OPERA ASSOCIATION ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, AT BARD COLLEGE
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-Bard in China and the Dance, Music, Theater, and Languages and Literature programs at Bard College present a performance of Beijing opera on Saturday, December 8, at 2:30 p.m. in Olin Hall. The program is free and open to the public, and appropriate for children. The Yeh Yu Chinese Opera Association (based in New York City) will perform scenes from the traditional tales of The Monkey King and The Jade Bracelet.
The Beijing (or Peking) style of opera encompasses several major components of Chinese culture: history, literature, music, dance, and dress. The Monkey King is the beloved hero of a colorful story that delights children. The performance-filled with magic, martial arts, deception, and humor-details the relentless struggle of good over evil. The Monkey King magically changes his visual appearance, creates weapons out of thin air, and battles his enemies (demons and evil gods) with sorcery. The Jade Bracelet is the story of a widow and her daughter. A young man visits their home, immediately falls in love with the daughter, and drops a jade bracelet as a token of his love. A matchmaking neighbor (a comic character) then sends a token to the suitor from the daughter showing her love for him. The cast includes Charlene Tong, Li Qiao, Kui-xi Han, Tao Liu, Bao-gang Liu, Junwei Qian, Cheng-lin Huang, and Hai-long Li.
The Yeh Yu Chinese Opera Association is a nonprofit art organization founded in 1958 by a group of Beijing Opera artists in New York City. The company has grown steadily in the past 43 years. With a full orchestra, an extensive wardrobe, and a group of dedicated members, Yeh Yu has become the most active and enthusiastically received Chinese opera troupe in the United States. Since its founding, Yeh Yu has regularly performed throughout the eastern United States in educational and cultural institutions. The company has performed at Harvard University, Middlebury, Hamilton, Marist, and Vassar Colleges, and the University of South Carolina. Yeh Yu is dedicated not only to preserving this precious Chinese cultural heritage, but also to introducing it into the multinational mosaic of American culture.
This event was made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the Freeman Foundation. Bard in China is a program that has been established to enhance learning from and about China through events and exchanges. For further information, call the Bard in China Office at 845-758-7388 or e-mail [email protected].
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