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Beijing Culture Week at Kennedy Center

The largest-ever celebration of Chinese culture in the US will take place in the nation’s capital, Washington DC, from October 1 to 30. Lasting an entire month, the Festival of China features exhibitions, performances and concerts, all to be hosted by the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, in a bid to acquaint their American audiences with the subtleties of Chinese culture.

The main component of the festival is the “Beijing Culture Week”, to be held from September 30 to October 10, during which more than 150 artists and performers will regale the public with more than a dozen meticulously prepared programmes.  Starting off with Moulin Rouge style extravaganza shows on the first two nights, followed by performances showcasing individual performing arts from Peking Opera to acrobatics, the culture week will also hold a 10-day-long exhibition in the Kennedy Center.

Having travelled half the world and fascinated nearly a million people, the Beijing Culture Week will break boundaries this time. Unlike its predecessors who had only the Beijing-based and government-sponsored performance troupes to choose from, this year’s organizers have enlisted a number of private dance companies and music ensembles, many of them trumping their Beijing-based counterparts in artistic presentation and sheer performing skills.

The National Acrobatics Troupe will awe the audience with two award-winning programmes rarely seen on other occasions, and unveil its brand new creation, temporarily named “Finger Ballet”.

In addition, two exhibition halls will display Olympic stadium scale models and more than 120 photographs depicting the old and new of Beijing and its preparations for the coming Olympics.