By Dana Granville
With a warning to children, telling them not to try this stunt at home, a Chinese monk breaks two iron rods on his head. The crowd applauds.
At the press conference to welcome The Great Light of the Chinese New Year Stunt and Acrobatic show to Ottawa, the monks tell the assembled crowd that this feat is only the beginning of the awe-inspiring displays of skill and athleticism still to come.
The show, taking place at Lansdowne Park until Feb. 8 celebrates the Chinese New Year. It features a wide variety of performances and acts. Some of the highlights include tightrope walkers, monks performing kung fu, and Chinese national stunt show prize-winners, who do everything from pulling cars with hair, to swallowing and spraying fire. There is also a variety of cultural exhibitions.
Sophia Ho, president of Taya International, one of the groups sponsoring the event, says Centretown residents should be proud they have the opportunity to witness such a large event so close to home.
“This show is the best in China,” said Ho. “It fills big arenas there.”
In spite of the occasional warnings to children, the event is being billed as fun for the whole family.
“We want to entertain and be fun, and we want to showcase our culture,” says Ho.
The visitors are getting a taste of Ottawa’s culture, too. Grand Master Shi Yan Lu, a kung fu instructor in the show, says that although he has only been here a short while, he is really enjoying his stay in Ottawa, and is looking forward to exploring Centretown.
“It is clean, and friendly,” said Lu. “There are all different kinds of cultures. People from all across the world can feel at home here.”
This is the first time this particular event has come to Ottawa. City councillor Diane Holmes, who was in attendance at the opening ceremonies, says that attracting this event to Ottawa is a coup for the city.
“It’s great that we’ve been able to attract this show to Ottawa,” she said.
Holmes says she’ll be in attendance on the show’s opening night, and urges Ottawa residents to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Ho says Lansdowne is a perfect venue to hold this cultural event.
“Lansdowne has given us a lot of support,” she said. “It works really well for us because it’s easy to get there from almost anywhere in the city.”
She says that while the event is a showcase of traditional Chinese athletic events and shows, she looks forward to seeing a wide variety of nationalities in attendance.
“This show is not just for Chinese people,” she said. “We want to get other Canadian people at this event too. We want to show off our culture.”
Holmes also hopes the audience will be as varied as the acts in the show.
“We have a large Chinese community here,” she said, “but I hope lots of other people will come out to see it too.”