NTDTV Still Mum on Gala Details
Organizers give media a taste of what's to come
By David Li
Epoch Times
Dec 15, 2005
At a recent news conference, NTDTV updated the media on preparations for its upcoming 2006 Chinese New Year Global Gala. Choreographers and other organizers described plans for large scale music and dance numbers, but details of the programs still remain a mystery.
At the Manhattan news conference, NTDTV Vice President Ma Annan was determined to keep details secret to heighten the anticipation of gala audiences in the 16 major cities around the world where performances will be staged.
According to Vina Li, one of the artists planning the program, "Myths and Legends" is the overarching theme of the gala. Performances will include solos, concertos, singing, dancing, acrobats and magic acts performed by world-class Chinese and Western artists. The principal tone of the gala is joyous and uplifting. Artists have spent considerable time and effort to choreograph magnificent music and dance numbers based on the legendary stories of China’s rich, 5000-year old history.
Set designer Chi Nongshen said,"Radio City Music Hall has just bought a huge LED screen worth $7 million that will be used for the gala. With high-tech lighting and special effects, audiences will feel as if they are part of the performances."
Hsieh Peijong, another member of the gala preparation team said,"We hope to present the best performances to the audience so the standard for the selections and the artists is very high. We reviewed many ideas before making our decisions."
Dancer and choreographer Cui Rongrong was delighted that a dance choreographed by her was selected for inclusion in the gala. She revealed that a few of the large-scale music and dance numbers were specially choreographed for the 2006 gala and that rehearsal and preparation had started about six months ago.
"The operas are rich in content, including lanterns, sword dancing and a good combination of Chinese and Western elements," she said. "The selections have to be well coordinated. There are 50 dancers in a dance I choreographed. There will be about 500 performers in the gala all together."
Mr. Ma added,"NTDTV successfully held two galas in the past two years and the galas were well received by mainstream Western audiences. The overseas Chinese long for the genuine, traditional Chinese culture. Many in the audience were moved to tears after seeing large scale music and dance numbers, such as ‘Great Tang Musical Dance,’ ‘The Heavenly Manifestation,’ ‘Celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival,’ and ‘Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea,’ he said.
"The gala will be broadcast on many television stations in Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and North America. It will also be broadcast globally via satellite," Mr. Ma continued. "Chinese viewers in Mainland China can watch the TV programs that are broadcast via Hot Bird satellite over Europe and W5 satellite over Asia. The programs can be also viewed through DVD and on the Internet. The number of potential viewers is expected to be over 100 million in total."