Idioteex

Posts Tagged ‘National’

by +++CoolValley+++

The newly opened National Center for the Performance Arts, also known as “the egg” formerly named the Chinese National Grand Theatre, is the largest performing art center in the world. It is shaped like a massive, silvery dome in the heart of China’s capital that offers Chinese and international art performances of the highest standards.  It hosts opera, ballet, musicals, dance, dramas and traditional Chinese performances.

It is convenient to drop a visit at “the egg” in your Beijing tour, as it is situated west of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The National Center for Performance Art occupies an area of over 149,500 square meters. There are three gigantic halls located inside: a 2,416-seat opera house, a 2,017-seat concert hall and a 1,040-seat theater. Its goal is to become the center of Chinese performance art culture. The National Center for the Performing Arts took nearly five years to build at a cost of over 2.69million RMB.

National Center for the Performance Arts

National Center for the Performance Arts

Designed by the famous French architect Paul Andreu, this imposing building is a fine example of modern architecture. It has been thought of as resembling an eggshell, a baozi (Chinese steamed bread), or even a giant bubble. The National Center for Performance Arts has been listed among the top ten architectural miracles by the USA, for its energy-saving and environmentally-sound design. The center has three firsts: it is the largest sky dome in the world, the deepest building in Beijing, and is home to the largest pine organ in Asia. As its prompters have said, the National Center for Performance Arts has a lush dazzling interior, sophisticated acoustics and a design that that is superior to most of Europe’s or America’s performing arts centers. This building is so unique that it stands out amongst the nearby government buildings in central Beijing and the imperial grandeur of the centuries-old Forbidden City.

Resting on the Na Phra That Road in Bangkok, adjoining the National Museum as well as the Thammasat University sits the imposing National Theater of Thailand.

Portraying Thai architecture, the theater’s facade is adorned in pastel shades, with its red roof decorated with golden eaves. The edifice is divided into 3 wings, where one wing houses a sizable auditorium and a Sala (open pavilion) where outdoor musical performances are held. Another wing has a small theater hosting small dance performances while the third wing is used for holding workshops for theater technicians.

A variety of shows are hosted in the National Theater, where the spotlight performances go to traditional Thai drama and dances including Khon dance-dramas. The highest out of the 6 forms of traditional Thai dances is the Khon dance form, where performances are mostly based on the Ramekian stories, the Thai edition of the Hindu epic – Ramayana.

The costumes and masks of the dancers are exquisitely and elaborately adorned, and becomes a spectacular sight when they dazzle under the stage lights. The Khon dance-drama incorporates a fine blend of dancing, acting, acrobatics and singing backed by fascinating native folklore music. These performances are entirely in the Thai language and usually take a longer time than other regular performances.

The theater is open to the public throughout the year and it also hosts a wide spectrum of international performances as well. If you wish to watch Thai shows in particular, you need to visit the premises on the last Fridays and Saturdays of any month. You can receive a synopsis of the drama along with the printed program schedule, especially for dramas performed only in Thai language.  Read more...