Playing for two nights in this year’s Chinese New Year Festival, and also as part of Wellington’s annual Fringe Festival, was the cultural extravaganza: EAST MEETS WEST – Something To Crow About at the TSB Arena.

Part One of the show was ‘West’, featuring presentations from local Wellington performers, each piece inspired by artists born in the Year of the Rooster. 

The beginning of the show was magical as two luminous dragons glided through the audience to arrive on stage; their sinuous forms winding gracefully above our heads, held aloft by the poles and experience of the Wellington Chinese Sports and Cultural Centre Dragon Dance Troupe. 

The full length of each dragon was constantly in motion – wheeling, spiralling, circling – always undulant; their patterns partnering to balance the space, and seeming at times to create a moving mandala. Their choreography set each dragon into a corkscrew – whilst continuing to maintain the spiralling of their section of the dragon, each pole-manipulator nimbly jumping through the eye of this vortex, resulting in pulling the whole of the dragon through in on itself. The Troupe exhibited impressive teamwork, and athletic ability and endurance, establishing a strong foundation for the West’s first half. 

Accompanying the Dragon Dance Troupe were musicians beating the rhythm, and calling the changes of the dance with drums, cymbals and gongs.  Their unerring metre and build of instrumentation, combined with the stage-pictures created with their placement amidst the luminous dragons was entrancing. 

The dancers and collaborators of Ms Deirdre Tarrant, and Tarrant Dance Theatre, contributed a significant number of the following first half pieces.  Each dance was cleverly linked and preceded by pleasant pre-recorded music, and projections (Mr Nicholas Dong) of friendly images and information surrounding famous persons born in Rooster years. 

The pieces showcased ballet and contemporary dance, as well as an energetic item from Full Swing Vintage Dance Company. Each performer seemed to seize and relish this opportunity to perform for us – their confidence and enthusiasm ensuring the continued growth of their unique dance skill-sets.

The item based on Mr Gene Wilder (Water Rooster) most successfully combined the values of this event – cultural exchange and collaboration, where young ballerinas sweetly danced to the gentle song of ‘Pure Imagination’, while Mr Stan Chan used his remarkable skill as a Chinese brush painter, each stroke simple and efficient, finally materialising as a joyful picture of the animal honoured this year.

Part Two of the show was titled ‘East’ and featured performers from the Arts Group of Chengdu International Cultural Exchange Centre, Sichuan Province, China.  The group have performed in Asia, America, Europe, Australia, Africa, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and now for the first time, in New Zealand.

Their showcase was filled with beautiful displays and often breath-taking demonstrations of Chinese art forms including – Chinese Dance, Tai Chi and Taoist Kung Fu; a tea ceremony, the art of Face-Changing, the melody of the Erhu, double acrobatics and fire-spitting.

Each of these presentations shared a grace, achieved through the quality, focus and precise execution of each movement, and of movement together when in groups. This flow of movement was enhanced by the design and tailoring choices of each costume.

The dancers of Jia Yue Ya & ensemble first appeared in bell-shaped kirtles and dress jackets with long sleeves – these sleeves further extended through colourful scarves – ribboning patterns and trails of the dance.  Later, the ensemble presented ‘Wonderful Qiang Embroidery’, a dance featuring at first squares of cloth bearing a striking motif, their inclusion adding extra shapes and choric possibilities within their choreography.  This dance culminated in the display and donning of a fine circle of embroidered linen; the performer twirling so it would disc out in a satisfying flare.

The ‘Puppet Dance’ also featured gloriously long sleeves.  This dance, operated by Ms Wu Zheng, moved all over the large stage, the puppet held high aloft, clearly revealing the puppeteer underneath.  Ms Zheng skilfully focused our attention always towards the movement of the puppet, concentrating her own steps and postures into the flow of the puppet – rendering her inconspicuous.

The duets of Part Two celebrated the perhaps more well-known forms of Acrobatics, and Taoist Kung Fu – both dazzling displays of power and balance; speed and accuracy.  The pairing of Tai Chi showing alongside a Tea Ceremony revealed the poise, elegance and measured movements inherent in all these art-forms. 

The bowing and lilt of the two-stringed Erhu was on this night, strangely edgy as the instrument was led in and out of its own harmonics.  The Face-Changer, accompanied by the Puppeteer, and a Fire-Spitter, was a highlight of the evening’s entertainment. As an essential part of his costume, the Face-Changer enters on stage in a mask.  After much gesturing, almost seeming to mimic super-hero swagger with his flowing cape and calf-length boots, with a flick of his head, his mask has changed, almost instantaneously.  He continues to do this throughout their segment – appearing with a new mask in a flash, sometimes with a quick swipe of his hand, sometimes a twirl around on the spot.  Eventually, the puppet starts doing it as well – they both come into the audience and do this trick again and again up close. At one time, the Face Changer reveals his happy unmasked face, as he knows we are delighted with his secret power.

I thoroughly enjoyed this night’s exposure to empowering displays of culture and collaboration.  I was moved to understand or perceive alternative avenues of thought, different from my own.  And I am enjoying the learning. Thank you to all the communities and organisations involved.  

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