Artists Ling Tang and the Ba Ban Chinese Music Society perform a unique immersive live art experience. Inspired by the Chinese proverb, "Mirror Flower, Water Moon 鏡花水月," meaning something that can be seen but not touched, this storefront installation will involve dance, traditional papercut and a compelling blend of traditional and contemporary Chinese music.
"Mirror Flower, Water Moon 镜花水月”
Seen but unable to grasp,
like a flower reflected in a mirror
or the moon reflected on the water's surface.
Beautiful but unattainable, surreal.
Life is but a dream...
Scene 1: Water Moon - palace of heaven, spiritual, moon worship
Scene 2: Mirror Flower - tea house, down to earth, ordinary people’s life
This program is made possible by the New York City Artist Corps and #CityArtistCorps @NYCulture. Thank you to AAFE for hosting the space.
Artist Bios:
Ling Tang is a New York City based dance specialist. With professional training in traditional Chinese and contemporary dance, she has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Harman Center for the Arts, Smithsonian institutes, among many prestigious venues and festivals. She has been awarded a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Folk/Traditional Arts. Ling currently teaches through Young Audiences New York and Flushing Town Hall. As an arts manager, Ling has consulted and managed various cultural exchange projects for the Asian Cultural Council, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, National Dance Institute, amongst others. Ling holds an M.A. in arts administration from Columbia University, a B.A. in dance and intercultural performing arts from the University of Maryland-College Park. (www.ling-tang.com)
Zhou Yi - Praised for her “breathtaking,” meticulous technique and expressiveness by The Washington Post, pipa/qin virtuoso Zhou Yi graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China. Select performances include: Tan Dunʼs Concerto for Pipa and String Orchestra at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig Germany; Young Peopleʼs Concert with the New York Philharmonic; Bun-Ching Lamʼs Song of the Pipa and Sudden Thunder with the Sinfonieorchester Münster; Zuqiang Wuʼs Sisters of the Grassland with the Ohio Youngstown Symphony Orchestra; guest qin artist with the San Francisco Opera in Bright Shengʼs Dream of the Red Chamber; and guest pipa and qin artist with the Santa Fe Opera in Huang Ruoʼs Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
Yimin Miao is an internationally renowned Chinese woodwind virtuoso. At age nine, he started studying dizi privately with Yu Xunfa, a celebrated musician in China. From there, Miao became a flutist with the internationally acclaimed Shanghai Traditional Orchestra and Jinan Traditional Orchestra in China. Since immigrating to the United States in 1996, Miao has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has lectured and conducted workshops at Yale University, Cornell University, and New York University. He played various bamboo flutes at Santa Fe Operan, and was invited to play with the China National Orchestra’s début concert at Carnegie Hall.
