Dancers from Yunnan showcase province’s ethnic diversity at River Hongbao 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The Wind from Yunnan performing troupe will be presenting 18 routines at River Hongbao 2025.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – Across a stage, several ballerinas move on pointe, their bejewelled headpieces glinting in the light. Over their white leotards, they wear costumes with Mandarin collars.
They are performing Dancing on the Clouds, a classical ballet routine with a Chinese twist inspired by the Yi people, an ethnic group in Yunnan, China.
This is one of 18 routines that The Wind from Yunnan performing troupe will present at River Hongbao 2025, which will be held from Jan 27 to Feb 5 at Gardens by the Bay.
One of Singapore’s largest and longest-running Chinese New Year celebrations, River Hongbao has been held annually since 1987. It drew 1.01 million visitors in 2024.
Forty members of The Wind from Yunnan performed at a private preview at the Gardens on Jan 26 in costume, hours after arriving in Singapore the night before.
This is the troupe’s first performance here, and they are the only performers from overseas at this year’s edition of River Hongbao. The Year of the Snake begins on Jan 29.
The troupe will be performing for four nights from Jan 27 to 30 at The Meadow, the Gardens’ space for large-scale outdoor events. It has a standing capacity of 30,000 people.
Another highlight is a routine titled Deep and Mysterious, which portrays the “spirit of Hani men to dwell in the mountains”, the organisers of River Hongbao said.
The Hani are another ethnic group from Yunnan who mostly reside in the mountains. The dance, performed by three young men in colourful costumes, is solemn and emotive, a tribute to Hani traditions.
Speaking in Mandarin, dancer Ma Ke, 31, said the troupe had taken care to choose “all the dances based on the life and culture of minority races” in Yunnan, China’s most ethnically diverse province.
Upon being invited in 2024 to perform at River Hongbao 2025, it took them about two months to refine and rehearse their dances.
Such a performance involves music composition, choreography, casting and rehearsals, which usually take at least a year, the troupe told The Straits Times.
Audiences can look forward to the “ruggedness of the highlands, the grace of the river valleys, the tranquillity of the countryside” told through dance, the troupe said.
Members from The Wind from Yunnan performing at a private preview at Gardens by the Bay on Jan 26.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
River Hongbao 2025’s organising committee said the troupe’s performances are in celebration of “the vibrant traditions of China’s ethnic communities through a fusion of ethnic dances, modern ballet and evocative vocals”.
Dancer Zhang Wen Yi told ST that it is the first time she has been away from home during Chinese New Year. The 30-year-old is here with her husband, who is also a member of the troupe.
Asked how she feels about missing the first few days of Chinese New Year with family to perform in Singapore, Ms Zhang said: “Strange but amazing.”
Members from The Wind from Yunnan performing at a private preview at Gardens by the Bay on Jan 26.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
River Hongbao is organised by the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SPH Media’s Chinese Media Group, the Singapore Tourism Board and People’s Association.
The festivities will take place from 6.30pm to 10.30pm on Jan 27, and from 6.30pm on Jan 28 to 12.15am. From Jan 29 to Feb 5, the event will be held from 2.30pm to 10.30pm. Admission is free.
Sixty strands of firecrackers – a tribute to Singapore’s 60 years of independence – will mark the start of River Hongbao 2025 with a bang at 8pm on Jan 27 at the Gardens. There will also be a countdown ceremony on Jan 28, the eve of Chinese New Year.
