The Atlanta Chinese Dance Company presents

Nezha

An exciting adventure with the well-loved child warrior deity in Chinese mythology.

Hwee-Eng Y. Lee, Artistic Director

Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 7:30pm
Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 2:00pm

Performing Arts Center at Gwinnett Center

$22 General Admission, $12 Students & Seniors

Tickets are on sale now!

Featuring Professional Guest Artists from New York:

Song Xiao Jun (Beijing Opera)

Kerry Lee (Chinese Dance)

Join the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company on an exciting adventure with the well-loved child warrior deity, Nezha!  Nezha has frequently appeared in Chinese mythology and ancient Chinese literature, and "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King" is one of the most commonly told legends among Chinese households.  Led by artistic director Hwee-Eng Y. Lee, ACDC is the first to bring to life this heroic character in an original Chinese dance drama.  The role of Nezha will be played by four dancers, each representing a different period of his life; the final two are professional guest artists from New York— Song Xiao Jun and Kerry Lee.  Read more about Song and Kerry here.

Story of Nezha

Nezha was born as a ball of flesh after his mother was pregnant with him for three years and six months.  Nezha's father was so angry that he tried to split it with a sword, but Nezha jumped out and grew fully, even though his mind and temperament was that of a child.  Taiyi Zhenren, a Taoist immortal sage, took him in as a disciple and presented him with two magic weapons--a ring and a red ribbon.  Seven years later when Nezha was swimming by the sea, he encountered a Yasha demon stealing children to feed the Dragon King.  Feeling great sadness for a mourning mother who lost her daughter, Nezha valiantly kills the third son of the Dragon King.  This angered the Dragon King, who reported Nezha's act to the Jade Emperor (Ruler of Heaven).  The Dragon King flooded the villages to threaten Nezha's father to kill him, but Nezha commits suicide to spare his father this difficult task. 

After Nezha's death, Taiyi Zhenren used lotus blossoms to reconstruct a body for his soul to inhabit and presented him with a long spear.  Using his new weapon, Nezha kills the Dragon King.  All of the villagers celebrate his victory, and the flooding finally ends.  Since then, parents have worshipped Nezha as the guardian of their offspring, and many monasteries in China have been dedicated to him.

A Sampler of China's Fifty-Six Ethnic Groups

Did you know that there are fifty-six ethnic groups living in China today?  Each ethnic group has its own unique dance style.  In addition to Nezha, ACDC's performance will also feature traditional Chinese folk dances from six ethnic groups, including the Han (majority), Dai, Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Yi.

Meet the Professional Guest Artists

Song Xiao Jun, a professional Beijing Opera artist, graduated from the College of Traditional Chinese Opera of Shanxi Province in 2002, majoring in Wu Chou (fighting clown).  Prior to moving to New York a year ago, he performed with the Theater of Beijing Opera of Shanxi Province.  He toured Japan several times to critical acclaim, receiving high praise from Japanese audiences and colleagues.  His most representative roles are "Crossroads," "Huoyun Hole," "Stealing the Silver Pot," and "True and False Monkey King."  Song's awards include First Prize in Professional Group A of the "Xinmiao Cup National Competition of Beijing Opera for Junior" with the play "Shiqian Steals Corselet" and the Silver Prize of the CCTV Fifth Grand TV Prix of Young Performer in Beijing Opera.  ACDC's "Nezha" will be his Atlanta debut.

Kerry Lee was born and raised in Atlanta, where she received her early dance training from the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company, Atlanta Ballet, and Rotaru International Ballet School.  As a professional Chinese dance and modern dance artist, she has performed in thirteen US states and the British Virgin Islands with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company (NJ), Dance China NY, H.T. Chen & Dancers (NY), gloATL, and as a solo artist.  She has also taught Chinese dance classes and workshops at the Museum of Chinese in America (NY), Beijing Chinese School (NY), Chen Dance Center (NY), Stanford University (CA), and Kudzu Playhouse.  Kerry holds a BS in Management Science and Engineering with a minor in Dance from Stanford University.  Her awards for dance include the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts, scholarship award at the Southeast Regional Ballet Association (SERBA) Festival, and Stanford’s Undergraduate Research Programs Major Grant, which enabled her to train intensively at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance (NY).  Having performed in every major ACDC production since the company’s inception in 1991, Kerry is thrilled to be a part of “Nezha.”

About the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company

ACDC is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the development, advancement, and appreciation of Chinese history and culture through the art of Chinese dance to metro Atlanta and surrounding areas.  Founded in 1991 by Hwee-Eng Y. Lee, the company currently trains over eighty dancers.  ACDC has presented fourteen original full-evening productions in theaters such as the Performing Arts Center at Gwinnett Center, Robert Ferst Center for the Arts, and Rialto Center for the Performing Arts as well as numerous community outreach performances throughout the metro Atlanta area.  Most notably, the company appeared in the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and the “Chinese variation” of Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Fabulous Fox Theater for ten consecutive years.

This program is supported in part by:

Pictured above (from left to right):
Kerry Lee and Hangdong Xu with ACDC in "Kung Fu" - Photo by Lander Stoddard
Kerry Lee in "Cradle of Spring" - Photo by Iraida Muniz
Queena Kou in "Tibet Dance" - Photo by Lily Photography
ACDC in "Women On That Side of the Mountain" - Photo by Christine Zahniser