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Chinese New Year Spectacular


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Published: Jan 16, 2007

Tue.-Wed., Jan. 23-24, 7:30 p.m., $20-$65, Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., 215-732-5446, www.newyeargala.ntdtv.com

Obscured by modernization and nearly destroyed by the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Chinese cultural traditions are largely unknown to the children of immigrants. So when New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) formed in 2002, its organizers hoped to wipe the dust off 5,000 years of cultural history.

NTDTV's Chinese New Year Spectacular showcases original works sampling the depth and variety of classical Chinese arts. Inspired by the opulent detail and rich coloring of traditional Chinese court wear, the dancers in "Flying Goddesses" move in silky costumes amidst plumes of dry ice. Original songs written as lithe Chinese folk tunes and sung in Chinese are performed in the Western operatic tradition. Similarly, two of the dance pieces (based on the stories of warriors Fa Mulan and Yue Fei) split the audience's attention between a flowing choreography borrowing from martial arts and the full-bodied sound of a Western orchestra. Well, not entirely Western -- Tianyin Orchestra pairs its violins with bamboo flutes and other Chinese instruments to accentuate Asian pentatonic harmonies and melodies.

"[Chinese culture and the Chinese New Year are more than] just firecrackers and lion dances," says stage manager Ying Chen, whose father, Rutang Chen, is the production's conductor. "We are showing the spirit of the culture in performing arts."

The Spectacular's goal to promote cultural diversity has received ample support from local Philadelphians. Encouraged by the Greater Philadelphia Asian Culture Center, Councilwoman at-large Blondell Reynolds Brown is personally sponsoring 25 students to see the show.

Adds Chen, "The audience response is just amazing, from either the professor of Eastern literature at Stanford or just an average Chinese person. We tried to make a show about pure goodness [and] positive messages that make Chinese people proud of their culture."