"Sound of Yunnan", a stage extravaganza combining ethnic song and dance, and percussion performances, is about to hit the stage at the Poly Theater in Beijing.
Xia Ga, one of the many performers to take the stage, showed off his distinguished skills in front of the camera. The bamboo-made cigarette case, which couldn't be more ordinary in the lives of everyday people in southwestern China, becomes an exquisite musical instrument in the nimble hands of Xia Ga.
But that won't be the only thing to surprise you. A lot more objects, including calabash, and even baskets of corns, are employed on stage as musical instruments. Artists make bold attempts in experimenting with the sound of different objects, and through these practices they've created an artistic dialogue between arts and Mother Nature. The primal dance moves reflect the wild imaginations of the artists.
Yang Liping, the director and lead performer of the show, says they've rehearsed countless times to find objects with sounds that are just right.
Yang added that the sixty plus artists involved in the show stay true to the roots of the ethnic art. They are expecting to bring out the raw emotions from the audience with their hearty and unvarnished choreography.
