China Watchers may have noted the recent WhiteHouse.gov photos of Obama’s after-dinner entertainment in Beijing. The performance after the State Dinner at the Great Hall of the People reinforced China’s popular “happy family” theme:
I guessed right, the peacock dancer was the inevitable Yang Liping from Yunnan.
Per my Chinese colleagues, the other performers included:
“Super Oriental Choruses” from Inner Mongolia
“The Snow Lotus Sisters”: 3 singing sisters from Tibet
A trio of performers from Xinjiang, on drum, eijak (fiddle played on knee) and rawap (long-necked plucked instrument similar to a dutar or oud).
A traditional instrument ensemble from Beijing
Efforts had been made to include some contemporary dance, without success. Such a wasted opportunity! China’s current Five Year Economic Plan considers cultural export a priority, and China’s contemporary dance field currently produces China’s highest quality work with international market appeal.
More soon on a performance offered but not selected for the occasion.
