Taiwan's Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group will embark on their "Hero. Beauty” North American tour that will take the Taiwanese opera ensemble to 12 cities in the U.S. and Canada.
The highly regarded troupe will perform two pieces - 'Lovebird Spears (鴛鴦槍)' and 'General of the Empire (護國將軍)' - to allow Western audiences a sample of Taiwanese opera, a locally developed style of drama in Taiwan.
'Lovebird Spears' is about a teahouse owner's daughter who is trained in martial arts and will only marry someone who is capable of defeating her using her choice of weaponry - Chinese spears.
'General of the Empire' combines traditional Taiwanese opera with Chinese martial arts. The action sequences in the piece were inspired by ancient warfare in China, especially the use of scaling ladders to climb fortress walls.
Established in 1929, Ming Hwa Yuan is well versed in folklore, poetry, dance, live music, acrobatics, and traditional martial arts. More information on the Taiwanese ensemble can be found here.
The opera company will hold their opening act in Los Angeles on Sept. 19, offering seven more shows in major U.S. cities before traveling to Toronto and Vancouver. Their final performance is scheduled for Oct. 13 in Honolulu.
Sept. 19 | Los Angeles
- East Los Angeles College @ 7pm
Sept. 20 | San Diego
- Joan B. Kroc Theater @ 6.30pm
Sept. 23 | Seattle
- Bothell High School @ 7pm
Sept. 25 | Houston
- Cullen Performance Hall @ 7pm
Sept. 27 | Chicago
- Metea Valley High School @ 7pm
Sept. 29 | Boston
Oct. 2 | New Jersey
- Park Performing Art Center @ 7pm
Oct. 4 | Washington, D.C.
- Quince Orchard High School @ 7pm
Oct. 7 | Toronto
- Dunfield Theatre Cambridge @ 7.30pm
Oct. 8 | Toronto
- Flato Markham Theatre @ 7pm
Oct. 11 | Vancouver
- Bell Performing Arts Centre @ 7pm
Oct. 13 | Honolulu
** Ticketing information and more can be found at the troupe's Facebook page or by contacting the Overseas Community Affairs Council's offices in North America.