Porter Ridge Middle School, Cuthbertson Middle School, Weddington Middle School and Weddington High School students sat in the Weddington High School auditorium yesterday to watch a performance from the Shanxi University Musical Ensemble. The group is touring the country, showcasing dance, music and art from China.
“(It is) quite an honor that we get to receive this quality of work,” Donna Podgorny, world languages curriculum coordinator for Union County Public Schools, said.
While it varies, roughly 600 to 800 students in the school system take Chinese. Podgorny said. It is offered online and in certain schools.
“I hope (the performance) makes them appreciate Chinese culture,” Podgorny said. She said the tour was a token of good will and she hopes it encourages more students to study the language.
Yanli Zhou, who teaches Chinese at Weddington High School, was enjoying the performance.
“It’s an authentic Chinese performance,” she said.
Zhou was “touched” that the students were appreciating the performance so much. She teaches four levels of Chinese and has been at Weddington for four years.
“I thought it was really good,” Francesca Bing, a seventh-grader at Porter Ridge Middle School who takes Chinese, said.
Bing thought the singing, costumes and colors were “beautiful.” Watching the performance made her excited about studying Chinese.
Shanxi University is Pfeiffer University’s partner college. The tour was part of the Confucius Institute at Pfeiffer University’s Charlotte campus. Podgorny said they have partnered with Pfeiffer before. The troupe will perform elsewhere in the Charlotte area throughout the week.
Read more: The Enquirer Journal - Union students experience Chinese dance music
Article by Carolyn Steeves 01.25.2012 http://tinyurl.com/7kb4cg6
Enquirer Journal, Monroe, NC
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