Gifts of Art presents a free demonstration and performance in partnership with UMS and the Confucius Institute. Directed by Cai Shaohua, the Suzhou Kun Opera Theater of Jiangsu Province will conduct an artistic demonstration and plain clothes performance of kunqu — classical Chinese opera — at the U-M Health System, offering a rare glimpse into the inner workings of this 600 year old art form. Kunqu is known for its blending of dramatic literature, soulful singing and elegant dancing. The genre is now enjoying a revival, blending classical stories and performance practices with contemporary staging interpretations and technologies, similar to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new, yet authentic, interpretations of classical English plays.

An exhibit of photographs of kunqu by Xu, Zengquan are on exhibit in the Gifts of Art Gallery — University Hospital Main Lobby, Floor 1 from August 20-October 8, 2012.

Presented by Gifts of Art in collaboration with UMS and the U-M Confucius Institute.

From a 2008 production by Suzhou Kun Opera Theater of Jiangsu Province