SHB_p046

SC08072014

30 The Courier sun • dragon boat • august 7, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com dragon boat festival s SCHEDULE SATURDAY, August 9, 2014 10:30 AM - 11:30 Chinese Music Ensemble of New York The oldest fully Chinese orchestra in the United States presents a both ancient and modern performance featuring younger members in traditional costume, playing a selection of their epic repertoire. www. chinesemusic.org 11:30 - 12:30 Opening Ceremonies Lions and Dragon Dancing Teams with Percussionists, and invited dignitaries, officially kick-off the 24th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York. 1:00- 2:00 Americana Singing and dancing professionals and students from American Tap Dance Foundation entertain with the unique American art form of tap dancing, also known as hoofers. Believed to have begun in the mid-1800s during the rise of minstrel shows, tap moved to the popular Vaudeville stage and later influenced jazz dance. Recent revival of tap has renewed the interest across all generations. 2:00 - 3:00 CASYM Steel Orchestra An ensemble of 90 members between ages of 7 to 21 bring the sounds of the Islands with the playing of the steel drums. 3:00 - 4:00 Shaolin Masters Warrior monks from the Shaolin Temple perform martial arts, and demonstrate age-old skills of masters and students of Shaolin Kung Fu Center headquarters in Flushing, NY. SUNDAY, August 10, 2014 10:30 - 11:45 Tamika Lawrence and band Broadway artist Tamika Lawrence and an ensemble of musicians make a special appearance singing and playing rock-blues-soul. Noon - 12:45. Wing Tsun martial art performance Wing Tsun is one of the most famous styles of southern Chinese martial arts demonstrate practical and classical applications of the art forms including we a p o n s a n d Wing Tsun’s famous chi sau training. 12:45 - 1:30 Rectifist and friends- a New York City Band Rectifist is a New York City hard rock/metal band formed in 2012 by Steve Cheng, Sylivan Tam, Chun Yeung Au, Jeff and Spark (Marcus Lui). They were all in a temporary experimental project called X-Scale prior to this group’s formation. After that, they decided to form a permanent band and be a part of the growing underground music scene in NYC. Friends of the band will perform as guest vocalists. 1:30 - 2:30 Rob Lok Rob has performed in the Ringling Bros circus and venues in 35 countries acorss the globe, now he is here to share his love of the circus arts and slapstick comedy with his exciting family-friendly show. Full of wonderful sight gags and audience interaction, Rob Lok will leave you with a smile and a need to try EVERYTHING at home. 2:30 - 3:30 Mawuena Kodjovi West African melodies and dances The music and dancing of the African Brothers Collective is a colorful, vibrant and inviting journey into traditional and modern West Africa. Currently touring in Europe, they return to New York, giving an enriched performance with additional musicians and music that will move your body and soul. 3:30 - 4:30. Shaolin Masters The warrior monks return for a second day of unique martial arts performances where more than ten artists will be demonstrating various craft making skills. Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival returns for 24th annual celebration BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ ejankiewicz@queenscourier.com @ericjankiewicz Chinese celebrations are coming to Queens for the 24th Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York. The event will begin at 9 a.m. on Aug. 9 in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, with a Chinese ensemble of musicians playing ancient and modern music at 10:30 a.m. The event is named after the main attraction that involves over 180 teams, 2,250 participants, on boats with dragon heads on them racing each other across the Meadow Lake. The event is divided into the 250- and 500-meter race. The teams compete for cash prizes and trophies. The festival is completely free and will take place on August 9 and 10. The tradition of dragon boat racing is an annual Chinese rite commemorating the poet and reformer Qu Yuan who drowned himself in the third century B.C. as a form of protest. To prevent fish and water dragons from eating his body, the locals beat their drums and splashed their paddles. The rest of the weekend will be filled with performances like the shaolin warriors. Masters and students of Shaolin Kung Fu Center headquartered in Flushing will demonstrate their ancient skills. Across the country, similar dragon boat races will be held to celebrate the fifth moon of the lunar calendar, according to the event’s organizers. For more info, visit www.hkdbf-ny.org. Feeling at home BY BENJAMIN FANG For Rectifist vocalist Marcus Lui, performing at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival is extra special. Lui, a New York City resident but a Hong Kong native, is thrilled to be celebrating the Hong Kong tradition. His local band Rectifist, formed in June 2012, will take the stage August 10 at 12:45 p.m. “For me, I feel great because I was born in Hong Kong. I came from there,” Lui said. “Now, there is a chance for me to perform at a festival about Hong Kong.” Lui, who used to work for the Cantonese radio station AM 1480, said he has been to the Dragon Boat Festival almost every year. This will be the first time he’s playing the music. Usually a hard rock and metal band, Rectifist will be paying tribute to the disbanded Hong Kong rock band Beyond by playing cover songs in its upcoming performance. “Beyond is one of the very important bands from Hong Kong,” Lui said. He said their songs talked about the world, race and other societal issues. Rectifist currently has five band members: Steve Cheng and Sylivan Tam on the guitars, Chun Yeung Au with the bass, Jeff on the drums and Lui, also known as Spark, as the vocalist. All were involved in a prior band named X-Scale before forming Rectifist. The band is influenced by the underground rock and grunge music scene. Rectifist, which Lui said usually plays in local city venues with two to three hundred people-audiences, will play in front of a much larger crowd in this year’s Dragon Boat Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.


SC08072014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above