Scotch College

Messengers From China

On May 1 students of Chinese from Years 8-12 were privileged to witness, a performance by the Media Children's Art Troupe from Beijing, China.

The Troupe was established two years ago and has won many awards in China. As well as introducing Scotch students to the beauty of Chinese dance and song, this interaction between the young people of China and Australia promoted friendship and understanding. The aesthetics of the performance shone a new light on Chinese culture for Scotch students.

The travelling artists dazzled the Scotch audience with performances ranging from several traditional Chinese dances to singing Waltzing Matilda. The 10 year old pianist Chen Xiaoyin amazed the audience with his mastery of some Western classics such as Flight of the Bumblebee as well as Chinese pieces.

One dance was performed with great flexibility by Zhang Chuen Yan. Her performance was set to a soft, ancient Chinese melody and the audience watched in awe. Another highlight was Scotch's own Blair Johnson who was the only student brave enough to accept an invitation for a duet with a member of the Troupe. They sang Do Re Mi from The Sound of Music.

At the conclusion of the special performance the Scotch students were spoiled with little gifts and letters of friendship from China. Thanks must go to Mr Liu, Mr Zhang and the staff of the Scotch Language Dept for their skilled organisation of this most enjoyable cultural event.

Tom Lin and Julio Orr, Year 11.