JDF Sports Meet and Talent Show 2013

Chinese schools don't really have football, basketball, soccer, volleyball teams, etc.  Instead they have a yearly program called a sports meeting, where they block off 2-3 days of school for sporting events and other festivities. It's pretty fun to have a break from the grind of school and watch my students enjoying the fall sunshine, plus it makes me happy to see them doing something other than studying :)
Yesterday was the first day and in the afternoon we had a big opening ceremony, where a bunch of JDF officials and other guys in suits sat at a long table up on stage and watched all the classes give a variety of performances ranging from dancing to martial arts to flag twirling. Then that night, a huge stage was set up with a professional sound and lighting crew, lots of flowers, and giant red lanterns attached to banners that floated high up above the stage. It was quite the sight to see! All of this was for the student and teacher talent show, complete with 4 student emcees dressed up like celebrities, crazy stage lights (strobe, searchlights, random patterns, colors, you name it), a panel of judges, and of course the entire student body sitting out in the audience. Last week, my colleagues talked me into performing for the show, and I really had no idea that this is what I was getting myself into. But it was fun, and even though I was initially thrown off by how big of an event it turned out to be, I felt alright once I got up there and sat at the piano. I played and sang Coldplay's "Fix You," simply because I  knew it pretty well already, and would be able to navigate through it when the nerves turn my sheet music into a blur.

Lindsey took a video of the performance and if it's not too horribly embarrassing I'll post it when she gets it uploaded onto her computer. In the meantime, please enjoy this compilation video I made of the rest of the talent show! It contains a great mix of traditional Chinese performing arts, Chinese pop music, and western dance and music.