What a wonderful opportunity to see performers from China in our own backyard!
The Huaxia Orchestra from Henan Museum of China and the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Team in a performance that combines music, musical theater,and martial arts to share ancient history and cultural traditions rarely seen outside of China.
The performance will take place in the Jack and Denny Smith Library and Community Center on Friday, January 25 at 8 P.M. at Mt Washington School, 3928 San Rafael Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90065.
Admission is free with open seating limited to 520 in the auditorium. Doors will open at 7;30 p.m. Donations are welcome and encouraged and will benefit the School, all grades, and are tax deductible when made out to FRIENDS OF MT WASHINGTON SCHOOL, a 501c3 non profit booster organization for the school.
Founded in 2000, with one of the oldest collections in China, the Huaxia Museum is engaged in the protection, research, development and exhibition of ancient Chinese music. Instruments used in the performance, such as the bone flute and chime bells, willbe replicas of actual instruments unearthed from ancient tombs. The music that will be performed has been orchestrated by Chinese music history experts and is based on actual ancient music scores. The costumes that will be worn by the performers are authenticreproducti
ons from clothing found in the tombs of ancient musicians. More than 20 performers, aged 14 to 45, are included in this delegation from the Henan Museum and the Shaolin Temple. Los Angeles has only one stop on the troupeâs U.S. tour, which includes one show at University of Kansas, Fort Hayes, two shows at the University of California, Santa Cruz, a show at Southern OregonUniversity in Ashland, a show at Oregon State University and this one performance at Mt Washington School.
The Mt Washington School appearance is part of a long standing cultural exchange program between Sias International University in China and the Cultural Department of Henan Province in China. This exchange has included Mt Washington School with previous performances by Chinese Kung Fu and Chinese opera artists. Many students and young people from the Mt Washington Community have also been part of this exchange having participated in the month long summer program in China at Sias International University. It will be offered again this summer and sponsored through the Friends of Mt Washington School (FOMWS). For further information on the 2013 summer’s exchange program for any young person ages 8 to 21 years of age please contact Warren Christensen at nnapnow@aol.
com. The program will be presented in three parts. The first half will be a narrated, music performance and presentation of instruments, showing ancient Chinese music over different periods, from prehistoric times through the Tang Dynasty (618 â 907 A.D.)
During the intermission, members of the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Team, from the city of Henan, will demonstrate a variety of martial arts and ancient weapons.
The second half of the program will feature a musical play about the Chinese Lantern Festival. This festival, which has been taking place annually for more than 2,000 years, is held on the first full moon day of the New Year. Also known as âChinese ValentineâsDay,â it is a festival of flowers, lanterns and love. To finish the second half, the performers will invite audience participation for the âGuessing Game,â which is part of the Chinese Lantern Festival tradition.
For more information: Email nnapnow@aol.
