Amazing Performances by Children

Watching these Chinese elementary school students from Nanjing and Kaifeng perform ten dances illustrating Chinese student life, holidays, and popular stories, one is reminded of local PTA productions, with the notable difference that these kids have been handpicked from their respective schools for further training and therefore are more proficient than children in the average afterschool program. As the kids--garbed in elaborate, vibrantly colorful costumes--dance, perform acrobatics, and sing traditional songs, sparse English narration provides contextual commentary. Unfortunately, the technical quality is average to sub-par, with notable tape streaks throughout and occasionally poor synching on the audio soundtrack. Combined with the rather steep price (for what is essentially a souped-up home video), this is strictly an optional purchase for those educators who would like to show snippets of authentic Chinese youth dances within the framework of a larger unit on Chinese culture. Aud: K, E, I. (R. Pitman)