Swing away to Hollywood tunes
Beijing Jazz Orchestra, a 5-year-old Beijing-based jazz band, will offer a Hollywood night for lovers of swing dancing.
Comprising five saxophonists, four trombone players, four trumpet players and drummers, pianists, bassists, guitarists and singers, it is China's biggest jazz band.
Started by Lu Xiaolin, the principal trumpet player of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the band started off as Beijing Big Band, attracting professional jazz players as well as young jazz lovers from all over the country.
"Though jazz is a Western music genre, its appeal cuts across borders," Lu says. "It is also more expressive than traditional classical music."
The program consists of a night of parties, workshops with international instructors, and dancing to tunes from classic Hollywood movies, such as Over The Rainbow from The Wizard Of Oz (1939) and As Time Goes By from Casablanca (1942).
To allow more people to enjoy jazz, Lu includes swing dancing, a style of dance that developed alongside the swing style of jazz music of the 1920s, 30s and 40s. It first came to Beijing seven years ago when a member of Beijing Big Band, Adam Lee, set up the Swing Beijing club.
Members of Swing Beijing hold practice performances in public spaces every Sunday afternoon, either in the square of The Village in Sanlitun or by the south gate of Chaoyang Park. They draw dancers from all over the world including the US, Russia, Sweden, Vietnam and South Korea.
The dances became even better known when the thriller The Message hit the big screen last year. The film features a beautiful dance scene showing actress Zhou Xun and Lee.
"Diversifying the forms of jazz music can help more people enjoy it. The country has absorbed various kinds of music in the past few years, such as hip-hop and R&B. I believe jazz will find the same acceptance," Lu says.
The party will be held on Saturday night at The One. Guests are expected to come dressed as movie stars of the 1920s and 40s.
China Daily
(China Daily 04/16/2010 page20)
