China Pearl presents special Chinese New Year show

Chinese New Year will soon be upon us, seeing in 2013 as the Year of the Snake. To celebrate, dance company China Pearl will be hosting a Chinese arts festival at the Unity for two special shows on March 1 and 2.Lady White Snake is a new show of traditional and contemporary Chinese dance, classical and fusion Chinese music, plus a dance theatre piece based on the traditional folk tale of the title.China Pearl is a non-profit Chinese arts and culture organization based in the city. Founded by Fenfen Huang, its mission is to advance the understanding of Chinese arts and culture to a British audience, promote cultural exchange between communities, and, they say, “strengthen the bond of friendship between east and west in an educational, entertaining and engaging way”.Ahead of the shows, there is something extra too, as China Pearl will be holding free taster sessions in Chinese dance, martial arts, calligraphy and arts and crafts on the afternoon of March 2, and a Chinese tea tasting before the show on the evening of March 1.Director Fenfen Huang says: “With the oldest Chinese community in Europe and expanding Chinese community, it is significant to develop a Chinese arts festival in the city of Liverpool. Lady White Snake is a very famous story passed on many generations from the exquisite city of Hangzhou, often referred as Chinese Paris and capital of my province Zhejiang.“As 2013 is the Year of the Snake, I really want to share this captivating story with the audience here. So we will tell the story through dance, animation and poetry and it will be an exciting and enticing production, which a Chinese audience will find refreshing and I am sure a British audience will fall under its spell.”The project involves local, regional and national young talents and well-established artists. China Pearl also runs a number of community group activities around Liverpool, so keep an eye on their website china-pearl.co.uk to see what they are up to.