Arthurian myth travels to China (From South Wales Guardian)
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Arthurian myth travels to China
11:00am Thursday 13th September 2012 in What's On
EAST meets West later this month when members of anAmmanValley youth circus group perform to thousands of people in China.
The performance will be part of a celebration of a future twinning between Carmarthen and Xiangyang.
A crew of 10 people (stage crew and performers) from Organised KAOS – a social enterprise based in Gwaun Cae Gurwen - have been invited to perform in the Xiangyang Zhuge Liang Culture Tourism Festival on September 26.
Under the direction of Nicola Hemsley, Managing Director of Organised KAOS, the crew will be performing in a 20,000 seat stadium as part of ‘The Ceremony of Dreams and Opening Gala’, which this year is entitled ‘Wisdom Lightens up the Future’.
Organised KAOS will be providing a spectacular telling of the legend of Dinas Emrys and the Dragon o f Wales.
In this popular tale, King Vortigern is trying and failing to build a fortress upon the rock knowntoday as Dinas Emrys.
The boy Emrys (Merlin) is found near Carmarthen and brought before the King as his advisor has told him the boy’s blood will magically bond the stones of his castle which keeps disappearing. The boy Merlin advises the King of a lake beneath the building site and upon draining the lake, two caskets containing dragons are revealed. The two dragons fight, the Red Dragon eventually defeating the White Dragon, which Merlin states is a prophesy that the Britons/Welsh will one day be victorious over the Saxon invaders.
Supported by a troupe of Chinese dancers, Chinese drummers, and a host of lighting and other special effects, the Organised KAOS team will retell this legend in their own inimitable style.
The dramatic show will incorporate exciting acrobatics and circus performance with some performers flying through the air to re-enact the battle of the red and white dragons.
A five—metre high Red Welsh Dragon has been constructed in China and this will also be raised into the air as part of the finale.
In July Organised KAOS performed with the Zip Zap circus in South Africa in a unique collaboration to perform in the Cultural Olympiad project Mzansi Cymru: Torchbearers at the Wales Millennium Centre. The performance will be taken to Cape Town in November.
