WEEKEND 1
2nd July FREE
Venue: Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre or Suite, SOAS, University of London, Russell Square, WC1H 0XG
Calligraphy Workshop 11.00am-1.00pm
| Part of a series of events linked to One-Stroke Calligraphy Exhibition, the calligraphy workshop introduces participants to the origins of Chinese characters and the basic strokes and forms of written Chinese characters using Chinese writing brush. |
Tea Ceremony 1.30-2.00pm & 4.00-4.30pm
| Tea drinking has a long-standing relationship with the Buddhist tradition. Masters in the Chan Buddhist School had a high regard for tea drinking. Legend has it that a Chan master from the Lingyuan Temple in Taishan mountains practised meditation for days without eating or sleeping, drinking only tea at intervals. In the Tea ceremony led by Fo Guang Shan practitioners, participants will be guided through a brief meditation before tasting the tea brewed specially for you. While you appreciate the tea, you will be treated to a dance emulating the Buddhist Apsaras, celestial beings who are divine dancers. |
Qin & Calligraphy Performance 2.00-2.45pm
| Part of a series of events linked to One-Stroke Calligraphy Exhibition, this performance brings together the art of qin (Chinese 7-string zither) by Cheng Yu, world renowned performer on the pipa and qin, with on-the-spot calligraphy painting by distinguished artist Le Guo. This will be a unique performance not to be missed. |
Bawang Merah Bawang Putih 3.00-3.30pm
A Tale of Shallots and Garlic
| The story of Bawang Merah Bawang Putih (somewhat similar to Cinderella) is well known throughout the Malay world. A rich widow has a spoiled daughter Bawang Merah (Shallot) and an honest, hard-working step-daughter Bawang Putih (Garlic), whom she and her daughter mistreat and force to do all the menial tasks while they relax and enjoy themselves. One day while doing the laundry Bawang Putih loses a sarong in the stream. Desperate to retrieve it she runs along the river and comes to a decrepit hut where an old crone lives, who promises to return the sarong if Bawang Putih will clean and cook for her, which she does to the old woman’s satisfaction. She also offers Bawang Putih a choice between two pumpkins – one large, one small. Bawang Putih takes the smaller one. On her return she is told to cook the pumpkin, but when it is opened, it contains priceless jewels, which the mother and Bawang Merah promptly seize. Hearing how Bawang Putih obtained the pumpkin, the mother tells Bawang Merah to throw a sarong in the river and make her way to the old woman’s house. As before, the old woman promises to return the sarong if Bawang Merah will clean and cook, but she quickly gets fed up and demands a pumpkin. Grabbing the big pumpkin she makes her way back, but cannot wait till she gets home and breaks the pumpkin open only for a poisonous snake to leap out and bite Bawang Merah who dies. Her mother and Bawang Putih go in search of Bawang Merah and find her body in the woods.
Choreographers and Dancers: |
SOAS Min’yo Group – Japanese folk songs 3.30-4.00pm
| The SOAS Min’yo Group is a largely amateur bunch of Japanese folk song (min’yo) devotees who meet regularly at SOAS, University of London, to practice singing, instruments and some dancing. Launched in 2012 by David Hughes, a Japanese music specialist at SOAS, its members are of various nationalities, including Japanese. The Group have performed at events and venues such as the Japan Matsuri, Hyper Japan, the Japanese Embassy saké celebrations, Durham Oriental Museum, festivals in Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Copenhagen etc. A bit of audience participation is always sought. New members are welcome; email dh6@soas.ac.uk. |
London Okinawa Sanshinkai – Okinawan music & dance 4.30-5.00pm
| The London Okinawa Sanshinkai is a collection of amateur enthusiasts for Okinawan folk and classical music and traditional dance. Members include Okinawans, mainland Japanese and several other nationalities. New members are welcome. We play and teach Okinawan folk and classical music and traditional dance using the sanshin (a 3-stringed lute), taiko (stick drums), samba (like a castanet) and sometimes other instruments. Repertoire is very broad, from gentle songs to powerful drum-dancing. We practice at SOAS, University of London, on most Saturdays, and perform at various events in the UK and elsewhere (including, in London, the annual Okinawa Day). Please look us up on Facebook for contact and events information. |
Bhumi Collective – A Glimpse 5.00-5.45pm
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Ahead of its premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, the Bhumi Collective will be offering a sneak peek into their collaborative multidisciplinary piece, bhumi. This glimpse into the work, which involves the amalgamation of contemporary and traditional Malay art forms, will then be followed by a panel discussion by the creative and production team who will gladly share with you their experiences in producing this experimental work of art. Performers: Soultari Amin Farid, Zunnur Zhafirah Binte Sazali, Venetia Lim, Heather Birley, Onyx Hinds, Jimmy Adams. |
Korean Kayagum Performance 5.45-6.15pm
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Damilola Eniola Dami is currently studying a MMus degree in Performance at SOAS University. Focusing on Korean traditional music and composition, she is both a performer and composer. She is a performer of the 12-string Korean Zither Kayageum, and has been greatly inspired to write for it. As a performer she has performed at various events around the UK playing a variety of Korean traditional instruments and educating the public on Korean traditional music. In her spare time she is also a radio presenter at the University radio running a show called Gugak Sounds. Performer Cholong Sung has been studying Korean music for eighteen years. She graduated from the National Gukak (Korean traditional music) Middle and High school, where she majored in Kayagum (Korean zither) and she did BA in Korean Traditional Music at Ewha Woman’s University. As a Kayagum player, she gained much experience by taking part in many concerts and had received awards at a number of Kayagum competitions. After graduating from university, she went to Seoul National University to study Korean Music Theory. Her master’s degree dissertation looked at “A Study of Seongdok (Lectio Devina, The sound of reading) on Musical Perspective.” She completed her masters music degree in 2013, and she is now a Ph.D. candidate in Ethnomusicology at the SOAS University. |
Anglo Asiatic Arts & Heritage Alliance 