Innovative ethnic dance drama is Macau’s latest residency show and a perfect synergy of culture and technology
MGM has proudly announced that it has joined hands with the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre to present the “MGM Awakening Lion,” an exclusive and tailor-made version of the award-winning Chinese ethnic dance drama, “Awakening Lion”.
With its premiere in this July, this is the first residency show of the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre outside of Mainland China. “MGM Awakening Lion” was created with the objective to showcase traditional dance drama with innovation, telling the great stories of the Chinese people with an internationalized and contemporary backdrop.
Pansy Ho, Co-Chairperson and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, said online at the launch event, “As we embark on to the bright new journey of the 14th Five-Year Plan, MGM presents this large-scale ethnic dance drama ‘MGM Awakening Lion’, where lion dance, a symbol of Chinese national heritage and festive culture, stands as the theme of the show. Curated for tourists of the new generation, ‘MGM Awakening Lion’ sets a new milestone for MGM, as it is the very first project of the ‘MGM Lion IP (Intellectual Property)’, a spectrum of tourism products in multiple categories.
“It is a brand-new style of experiencing Macau with a wide range of events created with the lion persona as the core, and the passing-on of the Lingnan heritage as the main drive. The residency show, as well as other ‘MGM Lion IP’ products, share the common goal of building Macau into ‘a base for exchange and cooperation with Chinese culture as the mainstream and the coexistence of different cultures’. It aims to deepen the exchanges of cultural tourism in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and promote its high-quality development in humanity and culture.”
The “MGM Awakening Lion” launch event was held at the MGM Theater, MGM COTAI. Catarina Lio, Vice President of Brand Marketing of MGM; Shi Qianjin, Artistic and Chief Director of “MGM Awakening Lion” and President of Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre; and the main cast: Iiliwan Umar, Peng Guanyu and Zhu Jinhui, were invited to introduce the dance drama to approximately 300 guests.
“MGM Awakening Lion” also has the honor of having the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Macao Government Tourism Office and Cultural Affairs Bureau as supporting units. The show is co-produced by the Publicity Department of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, and MGM.
Embracing the Cultural Root of GBA – Lingnan Culture
Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau are inseparable both geographically and culturally, as they share the same cultural root – the Lingnan culture. “MGM Awakening Lion” presented by MGM and Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre explores the new possibilities in the utilization and preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the collaboration between cultural and tourism industries. The residency show will serve as the classic cultural performance of the GBA, which utilizes cultural tourism to pass on Lingnan heritage, and further deepens the exchanges in the region.
“Wherever there are Chinese, there are lion dances”. The original ethnic dance drama “Awakening Lion” is the first large-scale dance drama in China using Cantonese lion dance as its theme. Named the best dance drama by the most prominent dance award in China – the China Dance Lotus Awards, the piece is a cluster of multiple cultural art elements including the lion dance, Southern Fist (Nanquan), dance performance and other traditional folk intangible cultural heritage.
A drama without dialogue, it achieves bold innovations in stage music, design, lighting, and costume and demonstrates the unique artistic charisma of the repertoire, whilst telling the story of the Guangdong lion dance and Lingnan culture.
“MGM Awakening Lion” is re-arranged and tailor-made according to the cutting-edge technology and state-of-the art equipment of the MGM Theater. The 70-minute drama is an exemplar of cultural tourism catered to the new generation tourists. Retaining the plot and the strongest Lingnan cultural characteristics from the original dance drama, the pace of the drama has been enhanced, becoming more upbeat.
The performing venue – MGM Theater, dubbed as Asia’s most advanced dynamic theater with top-of-the-line black box theater setup, is going to truly elevate the entertainment experience and allure of the traditional dance drama. Empowered by the world’s largest permanent indoor LED screen which blurs the line between virtual and reality, the drama fuses the venue and the performance together to deliver a one-of-a-kind and visual-stimulating extravaganza to the audience.
“Awakened by the spirit, rooted in the Lion” – the repertoire of “MGM Awakening Lion” is based on the awakening of a nation expressed in traditional culture. The ethnic dance drama depicts the journey of transformation of two lion dancers in the face of love and hate along with the dilemma of choosing between family and the nation, reflecting the perseverance of the Cantonese people. The set has also undergone all-round enhancements in terms character modelling, video background, stage props, choreography and even the use of music. Illustrating the essences of patriotic spirit with a contemporary touch, it is going to be a whole new multi-sensory journey for Macau residents and tourists.
Shi shared at the launch event, “‘MGM Awakening Lion’ is not only a breakthrough of the original ‘Awakening Lion’, but also a significant symbol of cultural unification in the GBA. Named the most inspiring dance drama and adored by many youngsters, ‘Awakening Lion’ showcases intangible heritage elements through artistic and unconventional means
Leveraging the advanced technologies of the MGM Theater, ‘MGM Awakening Lion’ blends ancient intangible heritage with virtual reality, taking the drama to a whole new sensational level. I truly hope that the show can go international and outreach to the world.”
“The Largest Dancing Lion” Returns to MGM COTAI
In addition to the revelation of the residency show at the launch event, MGM once again showcased the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS holder, “The Largest Dancing Lion” created in 2010. It was the first ever GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS dancing lion in its category which MGM spent six months to build. This gigantic lion is 20 times larger than the usual dancing lion (6.2m in length, 4.36m in height and 2.1m in width), and the head itself already weighs 250 pounds, which takes four well trained lion dancers to operate it. The three main cast members, Iiliwan Umar, Peng Guanyu and Zhu Jinhui performed with “The Largest Dancing Lion” on stage, presenting the splendid charms of Lingnan culture to the audiences.
“The Largest Dancing Lion” will be exhibited at the Spectacle, MGM COTAI from May 11 onward. The Spectacle is at the same time the record holder of the largest free-span gridshell glazed roof (self-supporting), the first ever architectural and structural GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Macau. During the exhibition period, visitors of MGM COTAI will be able to see two GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titles of MGM in one occasion, making the Spectacle a hotspot in town again.
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