“It was beautiful. Definitely one of the greatest arts and the future of man kind, not technology, Music will help. It’s a universal language and I’m thankful they came to perform here. Different cultures and a better future emerges from such a beautiful art,” stated former Mayor of Cerritos, Laura Lee.

The Chinese Dagu performers came all the way from China to share their culture and show the community of Cerritos and Cerritos College a dying art that hopes to plant its seed and expand once again into a big art.

On Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. the night started off with cookies and hot tea on the table as the full house settled in. The performers told three stories from old Chinese mythology. The stories were told with music played by the performers themselves, and was acted out with hand gestures and expressions used to represent the setting of the story.

In China everyone knows these stories, and the audience’s familiarity with the material focuses on how the performers tell the story rather than how it ends. The environment was set up to represent Chinese culture, where culture, art, community, and the food intersected along with the music.

“I wasn’t nervous at all, I’m an experienced performer,” said Xia Yan a graduate of Tianjin Normal University and a disciple of master artist Yang Fengjie, both being performers for the night.

The performers for the night consisted of Yang Fengjie, Wang Hongmin, Zheng Liwen, and Xia Yan, all coming from China to perform for out community. “We chose to present our stories with a screen translating into English because we felt it would be easier for foreigners to comprehend. Everyone in China knows the stories,” stated Zheng Liwen.

Throughout the night there were surprise giveaways such as an XBox 360 and Starbucks gift cards. They also sang Happy Birthday for Ms. Fengjie since it was her birthday.

The night ended with a positive vibe and a meet and greet with the performers along with snacks.