SPANISH dance troupe Compania Flamenca Antonio Andrade will present “Carmen” on

Sept. 27.The dance show is based on

Bizet’s opera which is famous for its brilliant melody, atmosphere and orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet musically represented the emotions of his characters.

Antonio Andrade, artistic director of Compania Flamenca Antonio Andrade, was born in Puebla de Cazalla near Seville, a village with a strong tradition of fl amenco singing. Grow-ing up in a family of fl amenco afi cionados provided him with a cultural upbringing in this ancient art form.

Andrade began playing guitar at a very early age and many of his tutors were fl amenco guitar-ists.

He has proven his talent during many tours all over the world. Concert tours with large-scale productions of “Viva Sevilla,” “Flamenco es mi Vida” and “Mi Carmen Flamenca” have taken him from Europe to the United States and Japan.Time: 8 p.m., Sept. 27Tickets: 180-680 yuanVenue: Shenzhen Children’s Palace, intersection of Hongli Road and Jintian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和金田路交汇处深圳少年宫)Metro: Line 3 or 4, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit B (SD News)

Flamenco ‘Carmen’ to be staged

Fri/Sat/Sun September 8~10, 2017 08 i LIFE

Rainbow Chamber Singers. SD-Agencies

A Chaozhou embroidery.

A wheat straw painting. Photos by courtesy of Futian Cultural Hall

Chinese folk art exhibition

FUTIAN Cultural Hall is presenting over 70 pieces of Chaozhou embroidery, wheat straw paintings and horsetail embroidery at a free exhibition, providing

locals with an opportunity to witness the spectacle of these national arts of China.

Four renowned artists are invited to the exhibition, including horsetail embroidery inheritor Song Shuixian, Chaozhou embroidery inheritor Li Shuy-ing and wheat straw painting inheritors Liu Guirong and Li Liangfeng.

“Chaozhou embroidery and wheat straw painting are not very famil-iar to young people nowadays. This is the fi rst time that such a large collection of selected wheat straw paintings are exhibited in Shenzhen. We hope that it can give people a chance to learn more about the artistic expression of wheat straw painting and young people can get a close look at the

intangible cultural heritage,” said Liu.Liu added that the promotion of

intangible cultural heritage requires the efforts of different parts of society and that Futian has done its part to support intangible cultural heritage.

Chaozhou embroidery is typically col-orful, decorative and of sharp contrast, made with multiple embroidery tech-niques. Long-standing and well-estab-lished, it is sewn neatly and the patterns are arranged in such a genius way that the embroidery is of high aesthetic value. Wedding gowns made in Chaozhou are highly sought after around the world.

Horsetail embroidery is a unique traditional craft from

Sandu Shui Autono-mous County in

Guizhou Province. Horses play an

important part in Shui ethnic culture, with horse racing and horsetail embroidery f e a t u r e d

heavily in

festivals and celebrations.As the name suggests, the embroidery

is made from horsetail hair among other materials, such as colorful silk thread to form patterns and images of fi sh, fl owers and dragons. The art was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

As a treasure of China’s folk arts, wheat straw painting originated during the Sui Dynasty, prospered in the Tang and Song dynasties and gained popularity in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The exquisite, brightly colored and vivid wheat straw paintings bring a sense of back-to-nature artistic enjoyment to viewers. The art form has earned a good reputation in the art community and is highly popular both in China and abroad for its unique artistic style and exquisite crafting process.

Dates: Until Sept. 17Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m., closed MondaysVenue: Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall, Futian Cultural Hall, 103 Fuhua Road, Futian District (福田区福华路103号福田文化馆非遗主题馆)Metro: Line 7, Huaqiang South Station (华强南站), Exit C ”Carmen”A horsetail embroidery.

RAINBOW Chamber Singers, a Shanghai-based choir, will present the “Tale of the Two Cities 2” concert in Shenzhen,

bringing their new songs to the stage.Rainbow Chamber Singers was

founded in 2010 by young conductor Jin Chengzhi and his fellow students at the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Now, the choir, consisting of amateurs from all walks of life, performs original choral pieces, which mix classi-cal music with comedic lyrics and social commentary.

Many of the choir’s songs have gone viral due to their lyrics, such as “Where on Earth Did You Leave the Key, Zhang

Shichao?” in early 2016. Jin wrote the song in three hours after his roommate Zhang Shichao had left with the keys to their shared apartment. With simple lyrics stating Jin’s frustration and anger over not being able to get in touch with Zhang despite repeated phone calls, the song is divided into sections that include a combination of chorus with elements from “Sancta Maria,” a soprano aria based on the opera, “Rustic Chivalry,” and one of Taiwan pop singer Jay Chou’s hits, “Cowboy on the Run.”

Their approach has proved a hit with audiences of all ages. “So Far, the Sofa Is So Far” is an anthem for China’s “over-time dogs,” the millions of underpaid mil-

lennials working long hours for abusive bosses. “Though ‘So Far, the Sofa Is So Far’ describes the miserable overtime life of working young people, the core of the song is that you should choose your own lifestyle,” Jin said.

At the beginning of the year, his song “A Spring Festival Survival Guide” attracted millions of views on vari-ous online platforms. The song, about young Chinese people returning home for the Lunar New Year dreading the family interrogations on career and mar-riage, expresses a pastiche of traditional Spring Festival stresses, and a rip-roaring anthem to individualism, ending with the defi ant chorus.

Concert by Rainbow Chamber Singers

Time: 8 p.m., Sept. 16Tickets: 280-580 yuanVenue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)Metro: Line 3 or 4, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D (SD News)