XN000022-1976-08-13 — Page 4

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1976

HK SCHOOLS' CHINESE DANCE GROUP WELL RECEIVED IN SCOTLAND

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CHEERS AND APPLAUSE FILLED THE EDEN COURT THEATRE, INVERNESS, SCOTLAND, THIS WEDNESDAY WHEN THE HONGKONG SCHOOLS' CHINESE DANCE GROUP GAVE A SUPERB PERFORMANCE BEFORE AN AUDIENCE OF 400.

APPEARING IN COLOURFUL CHINESE DANCING COSTUMES, THE SCHOOL DANCERS PERFORMED 12 CHINESE CLASSICAL AND FOLK DANCES DEPICTING THE RICH CULTURE AND HERITAGE OF CHINA.

THE PROGRAMME BROUGHT THE ENTHRALLED AUDIENCE BACK IN TIME TO THE HAN DYNASTY IN THE DANCE OF SUNFLOWERS+ AND AT TIMES TOOK THEM RIDING ALONG WITH MONGOLIAN HORSEMEN, OR SHARING AN INTIMATE COURTSHIP IN THE LOVE DUET OF A SINKIANG DANCE.

THE FIRST HALF OF THE PERFORMANCE ENDED WITH THE +DANCE OF THE MYTHICAL LANCE+, A COMBINATION OF CHINESE MARTIAL ART AND CHOREOGRAPHY, AND THE CURTAIN FELL ON A GRAND FINALE WITH ALL THE GROUP'S 26 DANCERS PERFORMING WITH FANS, RIBBONS AND FLOWER LANTERNS.

THE MANAGER OF THE EDEN COURT THEATRE, MR. GEORGE MCLAREN WAS THEN PRESENTED WITH A BANNER BEARING THE CHINESE CHARACTERS ''ETERNAL FRIENDSHIP** AND A COPY OF THE 1976 HONGKONG ANNUAL REPORT.

BACK STAGE AFTER THE SHOW, IT WAS A SCENE OF WARM FRIENDSHIP AND SINCERE COMPLIMENTS WITH MANY OF THE AUDIENCE CONGRATULATING THE DANCERS AND TEAM OFFICIALS AND ASKING FOR AUTOGRAPHS. AN ELDERLY SCOTTISH LADY GAVE THE DANCERS THREE BOXES OF CHOCOLATES AS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION FOR WHAT SHE REGARDED AS AN IMMACULATE AND HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE BY A MOST NON-PROFESSIONAL GROUP". THE PERFORMANCE BY THE HONGKONG SCHOOLS' CHINESE DANCE GROUP IN INVERNESS WAS THEIR FIFTH APPEARANCE IN SCOTLAND AS PART OF THE IR PROGRAMMES IN THE EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF YOUTH ORCHESTRAS AND PERFORMING ARTS CURRENTLY HELD IN SCOTLAND,

RESPONSE TO THE GROUP HAS BEEN SO OVERWHELMING THAT THE ORGANISERS HAVE ASKED THE HONGKONG GROUP TO STAGE AN EXTRA PERFORMANCE IN ABERDEEN ON AUGUST 19.

OVER 500 PEOPLE HAD TO BE TURNED AWAY ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE GROUP'S APPEARANCE BEFORE A CAPACITY AUDIENCE OF 600 AT THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION THEATRE IN ABERDEEN ON AUGUST 8.

MRS. JOY BRYER, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF YOUTH ORCHESTRAS AND PERFORMING ARTS SAID THAT SHE HAD NEVER SEEN SUCH A BIG GROUP ON PAST OCCASIONS.

THIS BEARS TESTIMONY TO THE APPEAL OF THE HONGKONG GROUP", SHE SAID.

THE DANCERS PERFORMED AT THE SAME PLACE ON AUGUST 9. THE THEATRE WAS ONCE AGAIN PACKED TO CAPACITY. AMONG THE AUDIENCE WERE LORD PROVOST ROBERT LENNOX OF ABERDEEN AND THE LADY PROVOST, AT THE END OF THE HOUR-LONG PERFORMANCE WHICH CONSISTED OF 13 DANCES, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GROUP PRESENTED THE LORD PROVOST WITH A BANNER AND A COPY OF THE 1976 HONGKONG ANNUAL REPORT AND THE LADY PROVOST WITH A SOUVENIR COIN..

/IN HIS