Thursday, November 1, 2012
West Lake
MONDAY, 29 October. Our conference locale was near the scenic West Lake area in Hangzhou. As part of a day of cultural touring, we visited an art school, enjoyed a boat ride on the lake, and ate
lunch in a pagoda on its shore. It was cold and rainy by afternoon, but we were excited because our host had promised a surprise for the international guests that evening. But first we needed dinner, and that was a surprise in itself: KFC! (No better in China than in the States...) Then we headed out into the cold wind and rain to attend an outdoor performance. "No problem," explained our host. "They will give you ponchos." Impression West Lake is an award-winning spectacle performed on the lake. It is an adaptation of a classic Chinese tale, complete with music, dancing, costumes, and lighting effects. Think Stomp meets Cirque du Soleil done with an Asian aesthetic. To say that it was breath taking would be an understatement. It was likely the most mesmerizing production I've ever seen. So we sat wrapped in our crinkly plastic, unwilling to blink and miss anything, as Mother Nature blew rain on us from every direction. And it was totally worth it.
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Stomp + Cirque du Soleil = Greatness to the second!
ReplyDeleteSo, no pictures of Impression West Lake? I guess I'm asking for too much with the show being at night and with that kind of lighting (AND with all of the rain to top it all off!!!)... BTW, nice ponchos! ;)
ReplyDeleteI found a promotional video of them at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8zGGJ8XDJ-E
Amazing indeed! Is that exactly the same show you saw there? Is the seating area all around the lake or just on one side? How far away are the performers from the audience? The lake looks huge! Well, I guess I have too many questions...
Yes, that's it, exactly--minus the presence of the singer. (The music is simply ethereal!) I have no photos because photography was not allowed. However, I found these: http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701&va=impression+west+lake
ReplyDeleteThe lake is huge, but the show is performed in a dedicated bay with bleacher-style seating on one side. Especially during the curtain call, which was done in boats, the performers were very close to the audience.
Of course! How could I forget reason #1: No pictures allowed! Those images you found are astonishing, and I see the seating area there as well. Between that and your description, I have a better idea now. The lighting is very impressive. I also like that the show is very context-specific, and they have actually taken advantage of their natural setting very well. However, I think the most interesting thing is probably the use of the platform that makes the performers look as if they were walking on water. I also guess that a curtain call done in boats was probably interesting to see...
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