Grand Dance Drama The Embroidery Girl Makes Boston Debut on May 26

By David Li, bostonese.com

Boston, May 7, 2013, — You may have heard of the Silk Road that connected China and Mediterranean centuries ago. Suzhou Embroidery, probably the best artwork that can be made from silk, is known for its beautiful patterns, elegant colors, variety of stitches, and consummate craftsmanship. A grand dance drama The Embroidery Girl (or Xiu Niang) is coming to Boston in less than three weeks.

Agis Center for Arts and Humanities and Angel Dance Company present the traditional Chinese dance drama The Embroidery Girl at John Hancock Hall on May 26. The award-winning dance show features music by Hang Zou, choreography by Jiwen Zhang, and costume design by Rui Li. The production is conducted by Min Zhao. The Embroidery Girl's US tour also includes performances at the Hindu Temple Society of North America in Flushing, NY on May 24, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC on May 31 and June 1, and The Plateau Club, Sammamish, WA on June 4 and 5.

According to the organizers, the story of the Embroidery Girl took place in the final years of the Qing Dynasty and the early years of the Republic of China. It tells about a tragic love story of a girl who loved the art of embroidery and later became a master of Suzhou Embroidery. By reviewing the emotional experience of the Embroidery Girl, the master of Suzhou Embroidery, and a painter named Ming Xuan, the dance drama portrays the image of a contemporary Chinese woman who was fighting against the feudal ethical codes and pursuing the liberation of women.

It took Wuxi Musical Drama Theatre three years and a remarkable financial investment to complete the creation of the dance drama. The theater made its debut in Wuxi after four-month-long intense rehearsals, and won the Outstanding Drama Award at the 7th Jiangsu Music and Dance Festival. The drama brought together such talents as experienced director Zhao Ming, “new generation” composer Zou Hang, multiple award winner for stage design Zhang Jiwen and internationally renowned costume designer Li Rui, as well as a group of outstanding young performers, including Tang Chenglong, Zhang Yazhu, Liu Xin and Mi Xia, etc.

To purchase tickets to The Embroidery Girl at John Hancock Hall, please visit：http://www.angelperformingarts.com/tickets.html. Or call：617-230-3854，617-285-0836 To purchase tickets to the performances in Flushing NY on May 24, please call (212)226-8461, (718)353-3580, (718) 445-2665, (718)570-7302, (718)961-6529 or (718)888-9889. To purchase tickets for performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on May 31 and June 1, please visit: www.kennedy-center.org/events/?event=RNXBK.