MGM proudly announced that it joins hands with the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre to present the MGM Awakening Lion, an exclusive and tailor-made version of the award-winning Chinese ethnic dance drama, Awakening Lion. With its premiere this October, this is the first residency show of the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre outside of Mainland China. MGM Awakening Lion was created with the objective to showcase traditional dance drama with innovation, telling the great stories of the Chinese people with an internationalized and contemporary backdrop.
Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau are inseparable both geographically and culturally, as they share the same cultural root – the Lingnan culture. MGM Awakening Lion presented by MGM and Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre explores the new possibilities in the utilization and preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the collaboration between culture and tourism industries. The residency show will serve as the classic cultural performance of the GBA, which utilizes cultural tourism to pass on Lingnan heritage and further deepens the exchanges in the region.
The original ethnic dance drama Awakening Lion is the first large-scale dance drama in China using Cantonese lion dance as its theme. Named the best dance drama by the most prominent dance award in China–the China Dance Lotus Awards, the piece is a cluster of multiple cultural art elements including the lion dance, Southern Fist (Nanquan), dance performance, and another traditional folk intangible cultural heritage. A drama without dialogue, it achieves bold innovations in stage music, design, lighting, and costume and demonstrates the unique artistic charisma of the repertoire, whilst telling the story of the Guangdong lion dance and Lingnan culture.
MGM Awakening Lion is re-arranged and tailor-made according to the cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art equipment of the MGM Theater. The 70-minute drama is an exemplar of cultural tourism catered to the new generation of tourists. Retaining the plot and the strongest Lingnan cultural characteristics from the original dance drama, the pace of the drama has been enhanced, becoming more upbeat. The performing venue–MGM Theater, dubbed as Asia’s most advanced dynamic theater with a top-of-the-line black box theater setup, is going to truly elevate the entertainment experience and allure of the traditional dance drama. Empowered by the world’s largest permanent indoor LED screen which blurs the line between virtual and reality, the drama fuses the venue and the performance together to deliver a one-of-a-kind and visual-stimulating extravaganza to the audience.
The ethnic dance drama depicts the journey of transformation of two lion dancers in the face of love and hate, along with the dilemma of choosing between family and the nation, reflecting the perseverance of the Cantonese people. The set has also undergone all-around enhancements in terms of character modeling, video background, stage props, choreography, and even the use of music. Illustrating the essence of patriotic spirit with a contemporary touch, it is going to be a whole new multi-sensory journey for Macau residents and tourists.
When: First Round – October 8–10, 2021 (8:00pm), October 9–10, 2021 (3:00pm and 8:00pm)
Third Round – December 19–24, 2021 (8:00pm), December 25, 2021 (3:00pm and 8:00pm)
Fourth Round – February 6, 2022 (3:00pm and 8:00pm), February 7–12, 2022 (8:00pm)
Where: MGM Theater, MGM Cotai, Avenida da Nave Desportiva, Cotai
How much: MOP $280–600 per person
For more information and bookings, check here. To buy tickets, check their website or call +853 8802 3833 (available 24/7)
