Feature: Chinese performance impresses audience at int'l film festival in Egypt's resort

by Marwa Yahya

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, march 7 (Xinhua) -- CHINESE music and dance performance has overwhelmingly dazzled the crowds of multinational audience in Egypt's city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday night.

On the beach, under the light of bright sky stars in open air stage, the holiday makers, tourists, cinema critics and the festival jury members were enjoying a CHINESE band in one of the Red Sea's resort hotels.

The CHINESE show was part of other artistic activities that took place during Sharm el-Sheikh Asian Film Festival (SAFF) which lasts from Saturday to march 8, with the participation of 58 movies from 26 Asian countries.

Salama Mohamed, a 19-year-old girl from Kuwait, was clapping and screaming while watching the show, saying that "it's the best holiday in my life because I feel I visited both Egypt and China at the same time."

She said the CHINESE traditional music instruments' soft tempo moved her to high level of excitement.

Nine CHINESE artists and performers, including five from the Silk Road Band, showed the uniqueness of CHINESE culture through the music and dancing.

The Silk Road Band presented classical CHINESE Peking Opera performances, Argentine music "Free Tango" and some of the classic songs of the Belt and Road countries.

Cathern Edward, who is from Ukraine, said she was lucky to come to Egypt during the time of the SAFF.

"I watched Asian and Arab movies and shows at the same time while also enjoying the sea activities," Edward said while dancing with her family with the CHINESE music.

She raced to approach the stage to take photo with the CHINESE dancer. She said that "I never imagined I could listen to fast music by lovely CHINESE traditional instruments and watch dancing by beautiful smiling faces."

Peng Xiaohuang, player of Erhu, a CHINESE traditional instrument, said that in order to get close to the Egyptian audience and generate emotional interaction, the band listened to the audio file of the song "three heart beats," a very famous song in Egypt's 2018 summer, and was trained to play it for the audience.

"The band was very glad that they successfully interacted with the audience while playing the Egyptian song," Peng said.

"Using CHINESE folk instruments to play music that other people are familiar with is not only an attempt to promote CHINESE folk music, but also reflects the cohesion of CHINESE music and culture," Peng stressed.

Wang Haitian, a 28-year-old dancer, performed the Uygur dance and the CHINESE classical dance Dunhuang Feitian.

"I feel that the Egyptians like these two dances very much, and I also think that these two dances mirrored the diversity of the CHINESE culture," she said.

Though danced in many countries before, Wang confirmed that the Egyptian audience are enthusiastically influenced by the CHINESE art.

She wished to "see Egyptian artists coming to China to perform, so we can learn from each other."

According to Wen Xiaoyan, the director of the performance, the CHINESE performance team will once again bring a wonderful performance to the audience at the closing ceremony of the film festival.