Asian-American Heritage celebrated at Town Hall
Chinese Ba Ban Music Society set to thrill Flushing audience with ‘Changes’ performance
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
In celebration of Asian
American Heritage Month,
The Chinese Ba Ban Music
Society will be presenting
their experimental and
immersive performance of
“Changes.”
Ba Ban’s experimental
original work on Saturday,
May 18, will configure
Flushing Town Hall’s theater
into a shape of a bagua, a
Chinese religious motif
that incorporates the eight
trigrams of the I Ching (Book
of Changes), arranged around
a symbol denoting the balance
of yin and yang.
The performance will
incorporate ancient Chinese
music, dancing, singing and
tai chi to explore the power
of change and the universal
energy that emanates from
humans and nature. In this
site-specific show, eight
performers will improvise
based on audience response
and interaction.
“May is Asian American
Heritage Month, a celebration
of the culture, traditions, and
history of Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders,” says
Flushing Town Hall Executive
and Artistic Director Ellen
Kodadek. “Flushing Town
Hall is proud to elevate Asian
and Asian American artists
and groups like Ba Ban
through our extensive global
arts programming, and we are
thrilled to present Changes
this month.”
Led by pipa virtuoso Zhou
Yi, Ba Ban is dedicated to
the preservation, creation,
and presentation of Chinese
traditional and contemporary
performing arts. Named after
an ancient piece of folk music,
Ba Ban means “eight beats,”
which is the structural basis
for the grouping of notes in
traditional Chinese music.
“We are thrilled to be
presenting our original work
at Flushing Town Hall,”
said Yi. “It will immerse the
audience in the resonance of
The Ba Ban Chinese Music Society
Photo courtesy of Flushing Town Hall
thousand-year-old Chinese
musical instruments, swaying
silken water sleeve dance,
the pleasant fluctuation of
singing sound waves, and
the refreshing energy flow
of tai chi.”
Ba Ban’s ensemble
includes highly accomplished
artists who perform on silk
and bamboo instruments,
including dizi (bamboo flutes),
sheng (mouth organ), pipa
(lute), ruan (alto lute), guzheng
(zither), huqin (fiddle), and
yangqin (dulcimer). For this
performance, Ba Ban will be
joined by guest dancers Ling
Tang and Guanglei Hui.
Since its founding in 1999,
the group has performed at
Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center,
the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, New York University,
Harvard, Princeton, Yale,
Peabody Conservatory of
Music, Eastman School of
Music, and the Longy School
of Music.
Also this month brings the
family-friendly Beauty and
the Beast show from National
Marionette Theatre on May 11
and Country Blues & Dance
on May 31, a celebration of
the shared music and dance
traditions of the Piedmont and
Appalachian regions.
Tickets are $16 for members
$10 for students, and free for
teens. Tickets can be purchased
at flushingtownhall.org or by
calling (718) 463-7700, ext. 222.
Flushing Town Hall is
accessible by car, bus, train and
foot – located a short distance
from the 7 train – at 137-35
Northern Blvd, in Flushing.
Access for wheelchair users
and individuals with limited
mobility is available.
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