Chinese musical troupe performs at Music Hall Center

The stage at the Music Hall Center in Detroit was transformed into a whirlwind of color, movement and sound Jan. 30 as the Huazong University of Science and Technology Musical Troupe brought images of a rich, diverse country to life in front of a captivated audience.

“It kind of sucked you in with the color textures of the traditional garb and movements,” said Nathaniel Wrice of Detroit. “It’s good to see it, because you watch movies and you wonder what it’s like to see it first-hand. [Most people] wouldn’t normally get a chance to.”

The 24 members of the HUST Musical Troupe are all university students with differing majors, some not even within the performing arts, and for most, this is their first time in America.

One of these students was Bo Zhang, who danced and sang in many of the different segments.

“We want to communicate with an American audience and share our happiness and joy,” he said, through a translator.

Huazong University of Science and Technology, WSU’s sister school, is located in Wuhan, China in the Hubei province. Established in 1952 as an engineering school, HUST has expanded to include the sciences and a medical school.

After years of negotiation, the two schools set up an agreement to allow easier exchange of students wanting to study English and Chinese. This also allowed for the opening of the Confucius Institute on WSU’s campus, which promotes Chinese language and culture in Southeast Michigan.

Under the direction of the HUST vice president, Dr. Jianfan Liu, the troupe is nearing the end of a five-city tour that began in Chicago and will end in Washington D.C. The Ministry of Education and the Office of Chinese Language Council International, more commonly known as Hanban, is sponsoring the trip and paying for all the costs.

On Jan. 29, the troupe performed a sold-out show Novi High School Auditorium.

The troupe compiled music, dances, instruments and clothing from all different regions of the country: from Hubei, the province where HUST is located to Mongolia and Tibet, something Lishen Chia, from Mongolia, and Hui Ouyang of Ann Arbor appreciated.

“We have a lot of traditional Chinese cultures and (the dancers) involved a lot of the different Chinese nationalities. There is a lot of diversity within one country,” Ouyang said.

Chia said he enjoyed the Mongolian dance as it reminded him of home.
Ouyang hopes that this is one step toward everyone living in harmony and without hate.
Beyond highlighting traditional and contemporary dance and song, the performance was about creating a better understanding of Chinese culture.

To do this, the troupe introduced the audience to the four major instrument categories used in Chinese music: strings, wind, plucked and percussion. They gave demonstrations of the zither, the bang flute, a gourd instrument called the hulusi and the violin-like erhu.

The audience also played an important role in the performance, as the troupe invited viewers onstage to try out the various instruments.

During the percussion demonstration, at least 30 children eagerly dashed on stage to test the gongs, cymbals and drum. They didn’t leave empty handed, as the troupe gave many presents. One boy was given his own hulusi to take home.

“We ask the audience to try out a few (instruments) themselves to make it more vivid,” Wei Han, the musical troupe leader, said through a translator.

“It is a kind of culture exchange to communicate — art has no boundaries,” she said.

This Monetta Foster, who came from Pontiac to view the show said that allowing the children to go onstage and participate really got them involved.

“Music is like an international language and that’s a tie that binds us together,” Foster said. “Even if you can’t understand the language they are speaking you can still appreciate the music and the movement.”