Bankers Trust Time March 1999, Vol. 9, No. 1 Author Giovanna Gambale

Cheng-Hua Wang Performs Wu Jia Sloop in Washington D.C.

It was a great honor that Penny Cheng-Hua Wang and NYJPW have been reported on the March 1999 issue, Bankers Trust Times. The article is recorded as follows:

"Penny Cheng-Hua Wang, a system programmer in Global Securities Services in New York, says that there is nothing like being on stage. She can't help but smile about her latest project, The Proud Fisherman, a Chinese opera she produced and starred in this past December.

Wang loves being on stage performing with her fellow cast members in their silk costumes and full make-up, moving along to the music coming from bamboo instruments, "It's a wonderful feeling when all of your hard work and effort comes together to create something beautiful," said Wang.

Part of the reason Wang likes performing is because she feels like she is fulfilling a mission each time she is on stage, "It is all about presenting yourself and the story in a way that makes the audience understand and appreciate the art of the Chinese opera," she said. This December the NYJPW (New York John and Penny Wang) Chinese American Arts & Culture Association Inc., a not-for-profit organization established by Wang and her husband John two years ago, presented its annual opera program, The Proud Fisherman, in New York City. The opera tells the story of an older fisherman Hiao An, who is forced to pay an unfair fishing tax by a powerful merchant in town.

Music was a significant part of Wang's childhood - she attended operas with her parents and a family friend taught her to sing. Wang began singing in local opera productions while she was in college in Taiwan. "When I was younger I liked the action on stage and as I got older I learned to appreciate the music and the story," Wang Said.

Chinese opera is performed without a stage background so the body movements and gestures of the actors are essential for the audience to understand the story. "It takes a great deal of imagination on the part of the performers and the audience," said Wang. Movements on stage are generally acrobatic in nature since many of the performers in the show have extensive martial arts training. Additionally, they use knives and swords made out of wood as part of their act.

According to Wang, Chinese opera is considered a traditional art and is seen as old-fashioned by the younger generation in China and by Chinese-American teenagers in the U.S. In her productions she likes to involve actors of all ages to help bridge the generation gap. Performers in The Proud Fisherman ranged in age from 17 to 89, with Wang's teenage daughter taking an active role in the production.

When she is not performing in China, Maryland, Washington D.C. or at a school in the New York area, Wang is helping Chinese-Americans pursue their artistic dreams in the United States. On weekends Wang tutors the performers in her show in - "useful English"- phrases and words that can be used at their jobs. through NYJPW and her website www.nyjpw.org she organizes exhibitions for up-and-coming artists to promote their talents. Wang created and manages the site - the first Chinese-American arts and culture website in the U.S. You can find information there on community development, social services, education and arts and culture for Chinese-Americans". (written by Giovanna Gambale)