December 20, 2007

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Holiday Wonders

When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: War Memorial Auditorium, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Lee St., Greensboro
Tickets: $38-$68
Information: 852-1100 in Greensboro; 722-6400 in Winston-Salem; www.greensborocoliseum.com
Etc.: www.bestchineseshows.com

Since age 17, Chinese soprano Jiang Min has dedicated her life to developing her talent and using it to keep her nation's artistic and cultural heritage thriving.

It's been a daunting task. Besides dealing with the hardships that naturally accompany the rigors of vocal training, Min also has had to contend with the Chinese government, which has suppressed many of the arts that she strives to keep alive.

"During the Communist reign, so much of the cultural, the authentic cultural heritage has been lost, and that's why they're aiming to revive it through 'Holiday Wonders' and the other performances in this series," Min says, through a translator and UNC-Chapel Hill student, Yan Yan.

It was with that notion that New Tang Dynasty Television in New York City organized a display of its own 5,000-year artistic and cultural tradition, first in 2004 with the "Chinese New Year Spectacular" and then in 2006 with the addition of its "Holiday Wonders" performance, which features Min as one of the lead sopranos.

"The show represents traditional, authentic culture, not the one that's tainted by communism," Min says.

Performed by more than 60 members of Divine Performing Arts, a troupe of Chinese dancers, musicians and choreographers, "Holiday Wonders" tells of legends and fables from various periods of China's past in an effort to keep alive an artistic tradition pioneered by the Tang Dynasty 1,400 years ago.

"The international societies are celebrating different holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah... , so on the surface it's a contribution to the rich and diverse culture in the States and in the world, and also it is conducive to cross-cultural understanding," Min says. "It fosters a sense of appreciation for, first and foremost, Chinese history, but also for understanding between different groups."

Since its creation, "Holiday Wonders" has been performed in more than 31 cities globally. Spreading its message of understanding and acceptance is one that its performers and creators say isn't limited to the cultural melting pot of America, but also it is intended to reach their home nation, whose Communist regime began to outlaw such cultural performances since they took control in 1949.

To achieve their goal, the performers and technicians behind Holiday Wonders have spared no expense to bedazzle their audience.

Each costume is meticulously designed and hand-crafted, and often times more than 100 handmade costumes and accessories are designed for and used in a single dance.

Likewise, the special effects wizards painting the show's digital landscapes do their research to ensure that they're not simply drawing mountains but recreating identifiable Chinese landscapes with historically accurate architecture. Thus they create a performance that becomes the next best thing to standing in the midst of an ancient civilization.

And for anyone afraid of feeling lost in translation, all dialogue is accompanied by digitally displayed English subtitles.

A graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music and the China Conservatory of Music, Min has trained her whole life for such performances, but she adds that the performers must also go above and beyond the call of duty.

Beyond her lifelong training in music theory and vocal techniques, she's also studied Chinese literature and history to better express song lyrics and convey the emotion of each tale to the audience, adding that singers are required to have a certain mastery of dance techniques.

Of the stories told in "Holiday Wonders," Min listed three as personal favorites including "The Ladies of Manchu Court."

"It really reflects the courtly life of really proper ladies," she said. "And then also, there's another one, another large-scale dance, about a Chinese national hero, called Yue Fei."

The last dance she mentioned was a large scale depiction of the tale of Mulan, the female warrior who's story inspired the 1998 Walt Disney film.

"Many say [the Tang Dynasty is] the zenith of China's culture and China's history. The society of that day really reflects a high and pure morality, and people tried to live their lives virtuously," Min said. "'Holiday Wonders' aims to... convey to international audiences what true China is, what the essence of the culture is.

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