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.