Chinese audiences take to Mexican folkloric ballet

 

Chinese audiences, from a 4-year-old boy to a 60-year-old retiree, are continuously thrilled by the performance of Amalia Hernandez’s folkloric Ballet of Mexico at the Beijing Exhibition Center Theater, with some dancing in the aisles to the merry music.

The 90-minute performance on Tuesday was part of the celebrations for the Bicentennial of the Independence of Mexico. More than first-class choreography set to spontaneous sounds of whistling and applauding, the performance also helped change many Chinese viewers’ impression of Mexico.

A woman in her late 30s, whose family name is Liu, admitted that she didn’t know much about Mexico except when drug-related violence dominates news headlines.

"I didn’t know their tap dance is so wonderful. It’s happy, open-minded and colorful. They must be happy people," Liu said as she tried to restrain her excited son mimicking the dance on his chair.

A gray-haired retiree, surnamed Shi, knows about Mexico mostly from movies, and he also had no reservation about praising the dance. "I like their exquisite costumes, bright colors, and the cheerful music. The actress is very beautiful, and the actors are very handsome."

Two women who just started working simply commended the dances as "absolutely passionate and visually shocking." A woman surnamed Deng couldn’t help dancing along with the performer wearing a large and funny mask in the aisles.

"Look at the body movement and circling on stage with the long dress. It seems to be easygoing and simple, but they are professional and consistent. This is an eye-opening experience," Deng said.

More than half of the 2,700-seat theater was full, and applause continued all through the performance. After the show, a 4-year-old boy played with his buddies outside the theater, shook his body and said, "Zhen hao kan ya,?" -- what a wonderful show.