Heart-based Performance Reflections – Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节

I did it! Doing two performances to 110 audiences in one day was really crazy and tiring (mostly my vocal part). But you only know after experiencing it. So, I don’t regret it. Now I want to share with you my highlights, feelings and learnings.

Firstly, some information about the shows

These are the things I like:

• Bridging cultural gaps among nations
• Telling stories
• Singing
• Poem reading
• Interactions with people in a fun and light-hearted way

So I thought why not put all those elements together to do a show? So I sent the proposal to City of Adelaide and City of Burnside Council, and they both liked it, yay! That led to the Mid-autumn Festival (the second most important festival celebrated in Chinese culture) celebration sessions last weekend. It all came from an idea.

Highlights of the performances

1. ?I didn’t know I can engage children and adults at the same time. When I was doing cultural quizzes, seeing them both engaged was really COOL.
2. Everyone was so focused on learning and trying to pronounce the tones of Mandarin (the official dialect in the mainland of China). ?
3. After the show, when people thanked me and asked if they could take a photo with me made me feel like a star, haha.

So, what do I feel about the shows?

Apart from being tired, here are my four feelings.

Proud

Before the show, I was really unsure, because I designed everything myself, and I’d never done this kind of performance before. So, I really didn’t know how this would turn out. But hearing and seeing people’s feedback, I was relieved, I did a good job.

Also, after the show, both councils said they wanted to work with me again. So what would be my next one? If you have any ideas or you want to work with me in the future, please let me know :)

Warm

Seeing many of my friends coming to the show (two Chris have come all the way from Clare, which is two hours drive), taking photos and videos for me (Yao, Niuniu and Raz Prendol, RPh, MBA ), and helping me promote my shows ( Andy Xing ) which really warmed my heart, thank you so much for your support!

Mentally richer

The preparation took me a lot of time, but also taught me so many things about Chinese culture. I enjoyed the process.

Happy

Before the gig, one person who worked in the Chinese media told me that he predicted the attendees would mostly be senior people, because many people here didn’t like #china due to current affairs. That made me sad. But the outcome was different: attendees were very diverse. That confirmed my belief again, politics are politics while people are different. We want to learn and know each other better, so let’s share.

Lastly, what did I learn?

5 things.

1.??????The importance of being myself and performing with my heart.

Because these were all my ideas, I felt relaxed presenting them. Like what Nigel S. and Tricia LaBella said to me:

‘We don’t need to be someone else, just be us. The right people would appreciate that!’

So true. Thanks! That made my performances much easier. ?

2.??????The importance of dreaming and taking action.

For one of the songs Moon-kissed Clouds 彩云追月, when I first heard it, I fell in love with the sound of the bamboo flute instantly. I couldn’t believe the next minute, I had a flute accompanying me. Here is the video for you :)

3.??????The importance of trying and speaking up

Initially, I thought a flute and violin could work well together for my songs, but I was wrong. I am so glad that I didn’t give up and ended up with acapella only. Instead, I tried again with a piano and a flute, and everyone liked it.

However, while we were doing rehearsals, when I found the background music that my accompanists proposed to me didn’t work for me, I didn’t just follow them (In the past, I would have, as I thought they have learned their instruments much longer than me). But this time, I spoke up. Because I wanted to follow my heart, to express what I felt.

4.??????The importance of being flexible

The attendees for the second show had many more children. Therefore, in the middle of the show, I did notice they started to get unsettled, but I didn’t change my structure for convenience reasons. In the future, I will. But this time, I didn’t blame myself. Instead, I give her more compassion. We all learn as we go, next time ??

5.??????Everything we experienced has helped our current selves

If I didn’t have the experience of doing so many quizzes (thanks Xiao Wen Tan ), hosting events and teaching Chinese for my previous jobs, I wouldn’t have had the skills to do what I did last weekend. Every experience is worth being noticed and cherished.

So, what’s next? Maybe I will see your cultural show? Because every culture is worth to be shared and celebrating. Or, if you have any feedback or ideas, please let me know. Let’s create and make things happen.?