Has your son or daughter come home from school full of stories about Chinese new year? Now’s your chance to find out more as the Anglo Chinese Cultural Exchange invite you to help usher in the Year of the Sheep. Entertainment writer Wayne Savage takes a look at the show
Apparently, people born in the year of the sheep are quite creative. This year’s Chinese new year show certainly fits that bill.
This Sunday’s line-up at the Corn Exchange includes the Shaolin Warriors from Britain’s Got Talent, the ACCE Chinese dance workshop performers, Chinese acrobats, cube spinning, Tai Chi, acrobalance duo, a performance from members of the ACCE School and more.
“We brought them on board (to headline the show) but we’re keeping it local too with volunteers from our dance workshops - adults and kiddies too. Acrobats seem to be really popular, so we’ve got people who are juggling, a double act where the gent literally throws a woman in the air and catches her and balances in various different angles; it’s very impressive.
“Children will be introduced to things like Chinese New Year on a school level, the show is a way to get a sampling of what it’s like culturally. It’s going to be excellent and hopefully well attended,” says spokesman Tony Cheung, who will be co-hosting with his 10-year-old daughter Abby.
“Cheeky rascal. She said she can do a better job than I can so we’re going to do a double act,” he laughes.
Proceeds from the show will support the charity’s work around the community.
The ACCE’s social projects include introducing primary school youngsters across Suffolk to Chinese culture, working with the NHS on healthy living and mental health projects; working with the elderly, watching out for those in need and making sure their voices are heard.
Its Chinese community school is a recognised school in the National Resource centre for Supplementary Education (NRC) and the only listed Chinese school in Ipswich. It’s based at CSV Media in Civic Drive, where every Sunday youngsters can come along to learn Mandarin, Cantonese...
The community actvity centre, based at the Manor Ballroom, is open 11am-2pm every Wednesday and offers Tai Chi classes, health and wellbeing advice including healthy Chinese recipes, translation servives, free immigration law information, teenage volunteer training and there’s a lunch club.
“The ACCE’s activities aren’t just for Chinese people it’s for anybody who wants to use our services. Proceeds go towards helping us keep them running because most of the time it’s just volunteers offering their time but every now and then you’ve got the overheads and costs to worry about and we’re keen to expand what we do too.”
Sunday’s show starts at 7pm. Visit www.accesuffolk.org.uk for more details about the charity.
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