On Friday 27th January 2012 the Charter Theatre in Preston have seen a magnificent performance in celebration of 2012 – Year of the dragon.

Thanks to the Confucius Institute of the University of Central Lancashire the audience enjoyed more than 3 hours long performance of the famous Jilin Song and Dance Troupe (from Jilin province of China) and of the students of the Beijing Normal University. The show included breathtaking group dance performances featuring polished techniques with refined Chinese signature, traditional songs, martial arts “dance”, ancient Peking Opera dance, and even on-stage calligraphy, which was presented at the end to the people of Preston. The elements introductions were done by Preston and Beijing students in two languages, where both British and Chinese spoke each other language. The show concluded with a chorus singing “You and Me” from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, linking it to the coming London 2012 Olympic Games.

The performance formed a part of the year of Preston Guild, a tradition dating back to 1179.

The audience included high-ranking officials from UCLan, Chinese Embassy, Jilin province, Beijing Normal University and Preston City Council, some giving welcome and closing speeches.

Happy 2012 – Year of the Dragon !