Members from the Chinese Elderly Art Group perform during the one-night show named "East meets West" in London, Britain, March 30, 2008. The Chinese Elderly Art Group staged an eye-opening show at the Queen's Theatre in central London on Sunday night, leaving audiences with a lot to marvel about. (Xinhua Photo)
The Chinese Elderly Art Group staged an eye-opening show at the Queen's Theatre in central London on Sunday night, leaving audiences with a lot to marvel about.
"They are so beautiful and graceful," said a British social worker also in her 60s. "I can't believe what the papers said about China seeing these people of my generation performing happily in such style," she added.
The visiting Chinese Elderly Art Group composed of people over 65 in age presented a colorful show mixing traditional Chinese culture with modern dance and music.
Catwalk shows and dances for ladies in their 60s and 70s as well as Sichuan face transfiguration, Chinese oboe solo and shadow show dance brought rounds of applause from the audience, who were stunned by the energy and artistic skills of the 40 plus Chinese performers. One can hardly believe performances by aged people could be so popular.
Formed 5 years ago, the Chinese Elderly Art Group has performed to great reviews worldwide including Sydney, Melbourne, Paris and Taiwan. The group was brought together to champion values such as respect and support for the elderly, as well as promoting harmony between the generations. The group's world-class abilities are widely regarded as an exemplar in China which counts over 130 million older people.
The finale of the 90-minute show entitled 'East meets West' is a joint performance of "My generation", with British and Chinese artists performing an exclusive version of the UK hit rock & roll together.
Launched in 2007, The UK Zimmers are thought to have the oldest members in the world and was formed to give a voice to the feelings of isolation and imprisonment suffered by the elderly. Their first single, a cover of The Who's "My Generation," was recorded in the legendary Beatles Studio 2 at Abbey Road and was a huge success on the UK top 40 single chart, peaking at No. 26. The video of the song became a cult hit on the Internet, with over 4.4 million people watching it on Internet sites including YouTube.
"'My Generation' is a song made in 1960s for the then young people. We choose it to show how the aged people could still be energetic," said Alf Carretta, the lead singer of the Zimmers who will turn 91 on Monday.