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SZ performers tour Europe
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John Woo
THE Shenzhen Art Ensemble is hard at work on a month-long tour of Shenzhen's friendship cities in Europe, presenting a show every other day. In the French province of Vienne, they have visited five cities to warm applause.
"Your performance is top class. It should be presented in cities like Paris," a high-ranking provincial official reportedly told members of the ensemble.
The Vienne deputy governor showed a particular interest in the drums that the dancers used in a number called Korean Drum Dance. He asked to buy two of them after the show. "And then the dancers don't know what to do - whether they should sell them," Chen Jinming, the head of the ensemble told Shenzhen Daily. "I told them just to give the two drums to the vice governor as a gift, as well as a token of friendship between our city and Vienne Province."
The ensemble is now in Greece, where it is carrying a temporary name: The China Art Ensemble. It changed names for a sacred mission - to perform in Athens, birthplace of the Olympics, to support China's Olympic bid. After that, the troupe will go to Nuremberg, Germany, another of SZ's friendship cities.
The troupe has pulled out all the stops for their European audience, performing Chinese folk dances like The Plateau Festival and Jasmine. Some European music and songs have also been added to their repetoire.
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