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Arts & Entertainment

Dancers Present a Multi-ethnic China at Flint Center

The China National Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble will showcase cultures of the country's minority ethnic groups Sept. 20.

There have been many Chinese shows at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts, but the next Chinese performance on Tuesday, Sept. 20, will bring the audience a different experience by presenting China as a multi-cultural country.

China indeed is almost as multi-racial as the United States. Although China's ethnic groups, all with black hair and dark eyes, don't look as diverse as those in America, they do have distinctive cultures.

At next Tuesday's show, music and dances of seven Chinese minority ethnic groups will be at the Flint Center starting at 7:30 p.m., staged by the China National Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble (CNESDE), China's only national-level performing group representing the country's ethnic minorities.

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The show will include a segment of Beijing Opera and several songs from the mainstream Chinese culture, namely the culture of the Han Chinese. The Han race equates the overwhelming majority of the Chinese population. It also features guest artists, solo singers renowned in China.

Founded in 1952 by then-Premier Zhou Enlai, CNESDE's mission is to cultivate China's best ethnic minority dancers and musicians, as well as to preserve its rich cultural and artistic heritage, according to the Nan Hai website, which is promoting the tour. Nan Hai is a Millbrae-based organization dedicated to cultural exchange between China and the United States since 1989.

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The CNESDE has more than 400 members representing 37 ethnic groups, the website states. Performers have toured over 70 countries, delivering more than 100 performances per year.

The current show is part of a CNESDE performing tour meant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the revolutation that ended China's monarchy and established the first republic in Asia. The Cupertino performance is scheduled for a Tuesday night due to the group's busy itinerary.

Tickets are $100, $60, $35, and $20, available online with Nan Hai, or by calling 650-259-2100.

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