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Cultural Exchange Program By ARCOM GROUP, INC.

gthompson@arcomgroup.net    404-444-1372

The Youth Ensemble of Atlanta in China.

 Video download: YOUTH ENSEMBLE OF ATLANTA  (Space used: 275 MB)

 


 

Cultural Exchange Program By ARCOM GROUP, INC.

gthompson@arcomgroup.net    404-444-1372

The Youth Ensemble of Atlanta to Showcase Talented Atlanta Youth in China.

Atlanta, GA – The Youth Ensemble of Atlanta (YEA) took part in a business and cultural exchange program organized by Arcom Group, Inc. (USA) and Hangzhou Arcom Business Consulting Company (China) in association with US-China International Investment Association. This was a business and cultural exchange program between metropolitan Atlanta businesses, the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta and their respective counterparts in Zhejiang province, China. This exchange promotes cultural understanding and improvement of business relationships.

With a population of over 1.3 billion and a 2007 real GDP growth rate of over ten percent, China is undergoing an unprecedented economic boom. Atlanta’s prestige as a global city continues to grow as it continues to forge business and cultural linkages in the international arena, especially in China.

 

Chinese Press Coverage of The Delegation

http://www.qnsb.com/space-298-do-blog-id-126233.html

http://zjdaily.zjol.com.cn/html/2010-01/04/content_218354.htm?div=0

http://zjdaily.zjol.com.cn/html/2010-01/04/content_218353.htm?div=-1

English Translations of Chinese Press Coverage

Youth Times newspaper …2010-01-03

Tonight's Wonderful Performance Given by American Dancers (Original)

Yesterday they had a "competition" with Youth Times' readers in dance previously

    It's said that there is no boundary between music. Yesterday afternoon, during the meeting between Youth Times' readers and YEA which was held by the newspaper and Hangzhou Grand Theater, young people from two countries who did not know each other before interacted excitedly together impelled by music. Finally, all the young people even formed a circle and competed hip-hop with the energetic African drum sound. The whole environment is rather fervent.

  American Youth Ensemble of Atlanta (YEA) was founded in 1990.It is an organization which offers young people free trainings on performance and art. YEA has been awarded “Coming Up Taller” award from the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities and has given performance to more than 1 million audience in America, Europe, Africa. This is their first trip to China.23 young people of YEA will give a performance of school music and hip-hop culture in Hangzhou Grand Theater tonight. 

  In order to communicate with each other between two countries without difficulties,10 lucky readers which were selected by Youth Times can speak English very well. Some are white-collars in foreign-invested enterprise, some are young students in the college and some even have had cultural exchange in the US before. Perhaps people in Hangzhou are shy because at first the communication was not very smooth though they are good at English. By contrast, guests from the US were very active and  turned from a guest into a host to ask questions to readers related to China, such as which kind of music do Chinese young people prefer; is there any professional artistic performance school in Hangzhou. And one of them asked curiously that didn't you listen to traditional music since when she was in the shop in Hangzhou, all the songs played were European and American pop music and she though young Chinese people listened to Chinese traditional music.  

  These kinds of questions have aroused Youth Times' readers' interests and they thronged to answer them. A beautiful female white-collar even sang a traditional Yue play "Butterfly Love" and people screamed by the wonderful song. The American guests then introduced an African drum brought from the US. The kind drum is decorated by tracery and unlike Chinese gong and drum, it is not played by drumstick but by hands' soft beats. By beating softly, dynamic rhythm can be produced. After American drummer's improvisation, a senior college student from Zhejiang University showed a part of popin. This college student will study interpretation in the US in June this year has aroused all young people's enthusiasm of dance and readers' nature has been set free. All of them formed a circle and began to dance, including "Nobody" which is quite popular in China now, Michael Jackson's famous moonwalk, high challenge hip-hop and so on. All young people are exceedingly happy.

  President of Arcom Group, Glendon Thompson who was in charge of the cultural exchange said all the performers of YEA were very curious with Hangzhou. On the first day when they arrived in Hangzhou, they did not only have rehearsals but also went to shopping in the silk market. They learned how to bargain by using calculator. A girl has spent 100 RMB on a cotton nightgown. And the interpreter  Lv Bingbing smiled, we have arranged them to watch a new Hangzhou local Yue play " Abusive Wife" to show them traditional Zhejiang's culture.

 

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Zhejiang Daily newspaper…2010-01-03 

Dance and Music, Celebrate the Precious Time of Youth

--An Interview with the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta on their first trip to China

   Hangzhou,3rd in January

   “We’ve come to make the world feel better !"23 American young people of  Youth Ensemble of Atlanta (YEA) will give wonderful performance in Hangzhou Grand Theater tonight with this enthusiastic song during their first trip to China. Melodrama, hip hop dance, Christmas song--this group of youth's professional concord, enthusiastic dance, amazing expressive force on the stage will let the whole theater be full of vigor.

    YEA has been awarded “Coming Up Taller” award from the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities and has given performance to more than 1 million audience in America, Europe,  Africa. Whereas, this professional performance group's members are young people, mainly middle school students who take part in it during their spare time. What kind of organization on earth YEA is? How can they cultivate this kind of youth's group? With lots of questions, reporter saw a unique American style's "Youth of Songs and Dances".

   "Our goal is not to create great shows or produce talented artists, YEA’s primary programming goal is to develop youth with the skills and desire to succeed at whatever they do in life. "The leader of YEA, Debi told our reporter when having an exclusive  interview.

     According to what Debi has introduced, YEA was founded in 1990,an organization which offers free free performance trainings to young people. And the only judgment of whether people can join in it or not is depending on whether they have the enthusiasm for music and art and the persistence in it for a very long time. Now, YEA's members come from different schools in Atlanta, aging from 8 to 24.They rehearsal and perform during weekends and festivals. What's more, Debi said some of the members have already won Grammy, some joined in Broadway, some are producing movies and more than 80% members work in the artistic area after graduation from college.

   In China, many parents are worried that if their children are fond of art too much, academic study may be ignored. Consequently, children will be good at nothing. Parents in the US are seemingly worried about it too. But YEA's children have proved to their parents that their choices are right. Diamond, a 13 years old member of YEA knows her own mind. She said sometimes members of YEA need to sacrifice their sleep in order to focus both on art and academic study at the same time. Apart from performance and rehearsal, she is learning how to play electronic organ in her spare time. What's more, she is trying to create her own music.

   To encourage young people to create and focus on social problems is an important way of YEA on helping children grow up. "Creativity and social responsibility are of vital importance in any area in the society. "YEA always offers opportunities to children to produce issue-oriented play, including local violence, AIDS and so on. Some members of YEA nowadays who have already entered into college told the reporter that what they learned from YEA is not only art but self-management. Among them, some study film, some study psychology, some study public relations, but they still remain in YEA because they can feel love and strength here.

Businesses and entrepreneurs seeking business relationships with Chinese counterparts, please send your company information to:

Glendon Thompson: 404-444-1372 ; gthompson@arcomgroup.net

 

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing at Zhoushan, Zhejiang

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing at Ningbo, Zhejiang

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing at Hangzhou, Zhejiang

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing at Hangzhou, Zhejiang with organizer Glendon Thompson- (2nd left kneeling)

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing and interacting with Chinese youth, Zhejiang

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing and interacting with Chinese youth, Zhejiang

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing, Zhejiang

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing, Zhejiang

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing, Zhejiang

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing and making friends with Chinese youth, Zhejiang

 

2010: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta performing and making friends with Chinese youth, Zhejiang