Fifteenth Anniversary Celebration Gala October 17, 2009

Little Pear Garden Collective, Canada’s premier Chinese opera and dance company, continues its celebration of its fifteenth anniversary with a gala performance on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Betty Oliphant Theatre. The concert is a masterful blend classical Chinese opera with original dance choreography in the aesthetic of traditional Chinese dance.

Highlighted by striking facial make-up and resplendent classical costumes, three classical Chinese opera works bring to life larger-than-life mythologies. Golden Hill Temple tells the story of forbidden love between a snake spirit in human form and the common man she marries. Sitting in the Palace is the story of an exiled nobleman who must chose between his obligations to his new country or the family he left behind. Finally, Resisting Jin Invaders portrays, in opera and dance, how the female warrior Liang Hongyu saved China from invaders from the North.

These Chinese opera works are performed by three masters, one from Canada and two from China. William Lau is the founder of Little Pear Garden Collective and is the Canadian Master of the Dan style of Chinese opera, where a male performer portrays a female role. Master Sun Ming Zhu of China is the last disciple of Master Shang Xiaoyun and has performed and recorded the Shang repertoires in China and the United States. Master Wang Jinze of China has specialized in the Yu’s style of Lao-sheng (elderly male roles). He has performed with the Sheng Si Province Peking Opera Company where he performed many leading roles. Both Master Zhu and Master Jinze are performing in Canada for the first time.

The three Chinese opera pieces will be integrated with original dance choreography by Little Pear Garden Collective’s Artistic Director, Emily Cheung, and Wu Ming Dance Project’s Artistic Directory, Jeffrey Chan. This integration of work by Chinese and Canadian artists is what makes Little Pear Garden Collective’s concerts unique and unusual.

Little Pear Garden Collective
Little Pear Garden Collective is a federally incorporated non-profit charitable cultural arts organization in Canada. Our mandate is to raise the profile of professional Chinese-Canadian artists through the presentation and production of high caliber artistic programming. Members of the collective include professional artists, cultural workers, and community leaders. LPGC is committed to preserving and promoting the richness of the Chinese performing arts to a wide range of audiences in Canada.

Media Contact
Slade Lander - (416) 504-6429 ext 21 slade@danceumbrella.net

Official Website: http://www.littlepeargarden.com