China joins BOT50 preparations
Spira Tlhankane | Thursday September 8, 2016 15:01
The group will be brought by the Embassy of China to celebrate BOT50 through a cultural fusion between China and Botswana.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, the director of political section at the Embassy of China to Botswana Tang Shenping said the troupe will hosts two sessions in order to accommodate more people. “Yunnan Shangri-La Arts Troupe will come to Botswana and enable Botswana people to observe and experience the Chinese culture through unique ethnic dances and songs,” he said.
Shenping said China Yunnan Shangri-La Arts Troupe is a prime professional performing ensemble founded in Shangri-La in 1959. “Shangri-La is one of the last remaining pure lands known to man. It is located in the World Natural Heritage ‘Three Parallel Rivers’ of Yunnan, where multi-religious and multi-ethnic diversity thrives and people live in harmony with nature,” he said.
Shenping said the troupe has formed a distinctive traditional artistic style of music and dance that aims at developing the art of traditional opera and bring it closer to the people. “The troupe, consisting of excellent dancers and musicians is well bred and deeply inspired by the beauty of land and the charm of ethnic arts,” he said. He indicated that the troupe has been honoured with several prestigious awards in international and national art festivals from 1980 to date.
The event will be organised by OP Advertising, the same people who recently brought the Russian Royal Moscow Ballet to Botswana. Huawei Botswana is the platinum sponsor of the event and the standard tickets for the show is sold at P100 while VIP is P200.
On other activities Shenping said upon the request by the Botswana government and BOT50 committee, China has been carrying out technical cooperation on BOT50 calisthenics celebration by sending professional calisthenics coaches and providing material assistance, namely costume, boards and performing equipment. “China has dispatched 11 experts to Botswana and finished the training of 150 local coaches as well as more than 3,000 students,” he said. He said a full rehearsal of BOT50 calisthenics was successfully done at the National Stadium recently.
Shenping added that on September 30 the whole country would witness a splendid calisthenics celebration with abundant Botswana colours and style.