Monkey King & Other Folktales
VANCOUVER CHINESE MUSIC ENSEMBLE
with guest artists
GERARDO AVILA & ANGELA BROWN
Saturday, November 25, 2017, 3:00 pm
The Annex (823 Seymour Street – 2nd floor)
One of the most enduring Chinese literary characters comes to life to entertain children and adults! Through mime, magic, jokes, stories and music, the audience will be introduced to the Monkey King and other folktales as well as Chinese music and instruments. Join the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble (VCME) and storytellers, Gerardo Avila and Angela Brown, at The Annex at 3 pm on Saturday, November 25, 2017 for an hour of music and comedy.
Inspired by Monkey King (Sun Wukong), the legendary character from the Chinese classical novel Journey to the West, storytellers Gerardo Avila and Angela Brown will use magic, mime, stories and jokes to entertain all ages and introduce them to Chinese and other cultures. Be prepared to be surprised by an American folk song or a Mexican dance. Hear the Chinese instruments imitate nature, animals and the human voice. The music and sounds will be provided by the traditional instruments of Jirong Huang (erhu), Sarah Tan (guzheng), Ling Yang (pipa) and Qing Chang (sanxian).
Gerardo Avila has been performing professionally since 1974 as a solo clown, mime, magician and storyteller. He has presented original sketches for Cirque du Soleil (1984-1987) and has performed at major festivals in Canada and Mexico including the Vancouver Children´s Festival, Yukon and Vancouver Storytelling Festivals, Winnipeg Clown Festival, Festival Internacional Cervantino, Festival de Baie-Saint Paul, Festival d´Eté du Quebec, Expo 86, Sechelt Arts Festival, Sweetwater 905, the 2010 Winter Olympics Torch Relay, the Homeground Festival and the Heart of the City Festival.
Performance artist, children’s storyteller, singer, mime and puppeteer down as The Ta Daa Lady, Angela Brown has a BFA in Visual Art/Theatre from Concordia, a BFA in Dance from York University in Toronto, a certificate in directing from the British Theatre Association in London and a Masters in Directing from UBC. She has been a writer and director for BC historical parks, has taught Master Classes at Capilano University, musical theatre and acting at Gateway Theatre, acting at Okanagan School of the Arts and has worked as an arts teacher for four years with Learning Through The Arts.
Formed in 1989, Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble is the first professional Chinese music group established in Canada. The ensemble performs an eclectic repertoire that embraces traditional Chinese and contemporary Canadian music. Its primary educational goal is to advance the understanding and appreciation of Chinese instruments, music and culture in Canada.
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Vancouver Chinese Instrumental Music Society gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Civic Theatres, Government of British Columbia through Direct Access to Charitable Gaming and Canada Council for the Arts