Phantom Rose February 14, 2008

The Little Pear Garden Collective is pleased to present Phantom Rose, a celebration of the Chinese New Year and the first production under the artistic direction of Emily Cheung, February 14-16, 8pm at the Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina Avenue. This innovative and romantic evening of dance is filled with daring new works and classic pieces from the collective’s repertoire. Cheung provides a new vision for the collective, respecting the traditional Chinese performing arts while identifying herself as a modern Chinese/Canadian artist.

Phantom Rose presents a cross section of Little Pear Garden Collective’s eclectic interests. Four new choreographic works showcase traditional Chinese dance styles - the roots of the Collective; The Rhythm of the Little Pear Garden, a Classical Chinese dance; Chinese Valentines, a romantic and amusing Han Folk duet; Twilight Warrior, a martial arts style piece; and Flying Apsara, a graceful and elegant Chinese Classical dance based on the ancient paintings from the grottoes of Dun Huang.

Cheung’s fascination in fusing her Chinese contemporary dance vocabulary with both Indian and Caribbean dance traditions has resulted in unique collaborations; Phantom Rose, with Gary De Matas and music composer Gein Wong; and Within..., with world-renowned choreographer/performer Hari Krishnan. These two groundbreaking works premiere on Phantom Rose’s program.

Emily Cheung has a Masters of Arts in Dance from York University and is a choreographer, dancer and teacher. William Lau, founding Artistic Director of Little Pear Garden Collective, selected Emily – a dancer with the company for more than eight years – to succeed him. William recognized in Emily not only her strength as an artist and her dedication to the company, but also her inspiring interest in both preserving traditional Chinese dance techniques and creating new work that utilizes them. With reverence for Lau’s founding vision and her modern, fusion style, Emily is poised to lead the Collective in exhilarating creative directions.

The Little Pear Garden Collective
The Little Pear Garden Collective is a federally incorporated non-profit 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. We are committed to preserving and promoting the richness of the Chinese performing arts to a wide range of audiences in Canada.

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