深圳国际旅游文化节开幕式

This past Thursday I went to my first concert in China, the Shenzhen International Tourism Cultural Festival 2008 (深圳国际旅游文化节开幕式). It was at Window to the World, the Shenzhen version of EPCOT Center I wrote about before. It was weird being out on a school night, but it great to break routine. It was also fun just being around native English speakers. A small group of teachers from the CTLC program attended this concert. We were the only foreigners there, so we felt obligated to be loud and American, especially during the musical performances. One of the performances was a Russian dance troupe. I cheered even louder for them; we foreigners have to stick together. While we rocked out in our seats, the Chinese audience members just watched. One of the performances was a techno song, so some of us started dancing. Some Chinese people turned around to watch us! No one joined in on the musical fun, a shame. There was also a group of seven guys who breakdanced. We were cheering and reacting, unlike those around us. Another performance was a beat boxer, and he was really talented. I think the older Chinese generations in the audience didn't know what to make of this new-fangled youth music. From beat boxers to breakdancers, from traditional Russian dances to techno music, there was a huge variety of music. There were two opera singers as well. The man, , was really good; he sang one of Pavarotti's songs, which successfully I might add. His pronunciation was perfect, like his 'r's. And it would not have been a Chinese concert without a song from the Olympics. A group of kids, some in Chinese outfits, others in lederhossen, sang "You and Me."
A few days later, Ben got an email from one of his students, which said that he saw both of us on TV at the concert. I've been on Chinese television! Sweet!