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Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Service Department, "The Traditional Art of Puppetry" performed by Yangzhou Puppet Theatre of China will be staged on January 2, 2003 (Thursday) at the Cultural Activities Hall, Sha Tin Town Hall; January 3, 2003 (Friday) at the Theatre, Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre; January 4, 2003 (Saturday) at the Cultural Activities Hall, Tuen Mun Town Hall and January 5, 2003 (Sunday) at the Theatre, Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre. The performances start at 7:30pm.

Featuring rod puppets that can perform eye-opening acrobatic skills developed uniquely by the troupe, this is an acrobatic spectacular puppets show which is highly entertaining for the family. Moreover, they will showcase incredible stunts including "changing face", "flinging the rosary", writing with a brush and painting. Human actors will share the stage with the puppets as they perform the acrobatic skills together. Traditional dance and drama will also be included in the show.

Fantastic programme include "Lion Dance", "Wu Song Killing the Tiger", "The Crane and the Tortoise", "The Fat Man and the Mosquito", "Fan Dance", "Ping Pong Diplomacy", "The Lady in the Moon", "Acrobatics Skills: The Cyclists", "Dance of the Flower Fairies", "The Monkey King Thrice Beats the Bony Ghost - a new version", "The Ancient Art of Puppetry" and "Dragon Dance".

The puppets in "Lion Dance" would perform acrobatic skills such as a lion dancing with or on a ball, crossing a bridge and jumping through a fire circle. "Wu Song Killing the Tiger" is taken from an episode in the Chinese classic, "The Water Margin". There are specially designed stunts such as "kicking the tiger's head" and "removing the robe" to show Wu Song's courage and quick response in face of danger. There are also farcical moments when the tiger does the "disco dance".

"The Crane and the Tortoise" is based on an animal fable that portrays a proud, surly crane and a slow-moving but cunning tortoise. Their quarrel out of a trivial cause turns into a real fight which comes to nothing good for either party. "The Fat Man and the Mosquito" is another witty piece, performed by glove puppets. The actions suggest vividly how a fat man, when attacked by a mosquito, tries to slam it dead. It promises many laughs for the audience.

"Fan Dance" is performed to the familiar tune of The Moon over a Spring River, this is a puppet dance that requires the manipulator to perform with adept skills. It describes how a young girl chases a butterfly with her fan, and dances with delight as she swirls, bends and turns. "Ping Pong Diplomacy" is the ping pong game performed by the puppets and the audience will be totally engrossed in this real game. It also symbolises how young friendship can be fostered by a friendly match on the ping pong table.

"The Lady in the Moon" is a new format in which human actors perform with the puppets on stage. We see how the less than a metre tall puppet manipulate a ribbon of more than ten metres long, in a dance that suggests the celestial's lightness in the air as she floats around. "Acrobatics Skills: The Cyclists" with puppets performing "stunts" as if in a live show. "Dance of the Flower Fairies" is a performance with human performers sharing the stage with the puppets. The flowers of Yangzhou have been legendary in their beauty, and the dance of the fairies captures the lyrical beauty of the scene.

"The Monkey King Thrice Beats the Bony Ghost - a new version" is an episode taken from the Chinese classic, Journey to the West. The sense of fantasy versus realism is reflected here with the introduction of one of the more realistic themes, the crime of drug trafficking of today. "The Ancient Art of Puppetry" is a showcase of all the latest and unique puppetry arts of the Yangzhou Puppet Theatre. The puppets demonstrate the art of swiftly "changing face" as in Sichuan Opera, "playing with the rosary beads" as performed by a young "painted face" monk and puppets painting. Performers sharing the stage with the puppets allow audience to experience the fine difference between real actors and rod puppets manipulated by the puppeteers.

"Dragon Dance" as one of the finest demonstrations of folk arts in China, is performed to the tune of Chinese folk percussion and wind instruments and string music typical of the Yangzhou region. The "dragons" perform all the movements of a life-size dragon dance: they roll over, cross over and under their serpentine bodies, form into a circle, and play with a ball.

The Yangzhou Puppet Theatre has developed into the largest and most famous puppet troupe in China after four decades of dedicated effort. Characterised by vividness and refinement, the puppeteers are able to inject life into the puppets to make them impressively lifelike. The puppetry of the troupe is particularly fascinating for their attention to detail in both action and facial expressions. The troupe won a Class One Award at the 1975 and 1981 Chinese Puppetry Showcase, and a special award for merit at the First China Arts Festival in 1987.

Tickets priced at $130 for Sha Tin Town Hall and Tuen Mun Town Halls' performances and $130 and $100 for Ngai Chi Wan Civic Centre and Sai Wan Ho Civic Centres' performances are now available at all URBTIX outlets. Half-priced concessions will be granted to senior citizens, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. (Limited tickets for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients available on a first-come-first-served basis). There will be a 10% discount for every purchase of 4-9 tickets, 15% for 10-19 tickets and 20% for 20 tickets or more. A 10% discount is also available for Friends of LCSD performing venues.

Programme enquiries can be made on 2268 7323 while ticketing enquiries and reservations on 2734 9009. For credit card telephone booking, please call 2111 5999. Please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp for more information on the programme.

End/Monday, December 2, 2002

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