A dance troupe from Haiti held its debut show in Beijing on Wednesday, greeting people in the Chinese capital with exotic dancing steps from the Caribbean Sea and strong beats of Haitian music.
Dancers from Ballet Bacouloud’ Haiti, a famed folk dance group in the Caribbean country, enthralled audience members with a show named Impression of Haiti at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center. Accompanied by powerful rhythms of drums and trumpets – the main instruments of Haitian music, the artists told stories of Haitian people’s lives, the Haitian history, culture as well as tales and legends, with a repertoire of 14 programs.
Ten Chinese violinists also played on stage, joining hands with Haitian musicians, adding a Chinese flavor into the show.
“They cooperated very well,” said Zhao Haoran, a Chinese audience from a public relations company. “I really enjoyed the enthusiasm for life reflected in the dances and music.”
Atmosphere of the show was lifted to a climax as dancers walked down the stage to invite audience to dance together.
“I am really excited to watch such an authentic performance in China,” said a Haitian student who is studying in Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.
“Tonight’s show was exactly like what people present in my hometown. I never expected to watch it here in Beijing,” said the 25-year-old woman while swaying to music.
Ralph Latortue, a representative from the Commercial Development Bureau of Haiti in China, said, “It’s a great chance of communication between Chinese and Haitians. We appreciate the opportunity to bring Haiti culture here, and we’re also planning to invite Chinese artists to perform Haiti in the future.”
After Beijing, the dance troupe will tour in eastern Chinese cities of Dezhou and Jinan, both in Shandong province, from August 17 to 20.
Impression of Haiti is part of the 10th China International Youth Festival that started on August 13. In the upcoming three weeks, people in 12 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, will be offered more than 200 performances by artists from 36 countries and regions, ranging from dances and chamber music to operas and musicals.
