A delegation of young dancers, their teachers and some parents from Qingdao will spend a week studying ballet at the Long Beach Ballet Academy, including home stays with local families, according to the academy.
Their studies will culminate in a performance at Lakewood High School Auditorium prior to a farewell dinner.
The public is invited to attend the performance beginning at 1pm and the dinner at 5:30pm at Forbidden City Restaurant, 6380A East Pacific Coast Highway. A suggested $5 donation is requested for the performance; admission to the dinner is $25 for adult non-members of LBQA, $20 for LBQA adult members, and $10 for children under 13. To make a reservation to either event, call (562) 426-4112.
The dance student exchange began in summer 2015, on the 30th anniversary of the two cities’ relationship, when a troupe of dancers from Long Beach visited and performed in Qingdao in cooperation with the Xiao Bai Fan Art School. The visiting group was led by David Wilcox, director of Long Beach Ballet.
“I was amazed at how we were treated in Qingdao,” Wilcox said. “We performed with the local dancers in the fabulous new Grand Theater. All our dancers were hosted by local families, so they could really get to know the people and culture. In addition, the Qingdao government played a major role by sending the Minister of Culture to our joint performance to give a presentation praising our sister-city relationship. The teachers, the families and the audience treated us as honored guests.”
More Information
lbqa.org
longbeachballet.com
Source: Long Beach-Qingdao Association
