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When talking about China's female bands,Twelve Girls Bandmay be the first that comes to mind. But in fact, Red Poppy Ladies' Percussion was the first professional female band established in China. Founded in 1999, Red Poppy Ladies' Percussion is two years older than Twelve Girls Band and first grabbed people's attention at the 2001 Spring Festival Party held byChina Central Television(CCTV), China's largest broadcasting station.
Five years after the musical group's birth, the development and improvement of Red Poppy Ladies' Percussion have captured the attention of the experts and audiences who have closely followed the performers since the beginning.
On December 26, 2004, the Red Poppy Ladies' Percussion Development Seminar, headed by theBeijingMusicians Association (BMA), was held with the participations of several experts, who reviewed and discussed the troupe's development and prospect.
Participants included Chen Weidong (BMA's General Secretary), Pu Dongsheng (China National Orchestra Institute), Li Xi'an, (China Music Academy professor), Liu Hanlin, (Honorary President of China National Percussion Institute), Jin Zhaojin, (noted music critic), Hu Yueming (from the Culture Ministry's Cultural Market Development) and Zhou Li (the band's creator and president).
Stirring up a percussion storm
At the 2001 CCTV Spring Festival Party, the Red Poppy Ladies' Percussion, in their bright-colored red costumes with an appealing youthful spirit, profoundly impressed the audiences. The musical orientation of China's first female percussion band is aimed at exploring a new ground for the development of Chinese percussion with the combination of the professional artistic flavor and pop music.
Since its inception, the band has performed more than 600 times in Beijing and a dozen other major cities in China. Upon invitation, the band has also taken part in hundreds of large-scale activities on the national level like the "21st Universiade".
In February 2004, the band began a performance tour in Australia, including one special concert in the world-renowned Sydney Opera. The band received warm receptions in almost everywhere they went in Australia and the local media greatly reported on their arrival.
In June 2004, the band was invited as the only foreign performing group to the 16th Canada InternationalDragon Boat Festival, with their performance highlighting the entire festival.
In August of the same year, the band's performers took part in the Sixth Asian Arts Festival, representing Chinese artistic bands, and also successfully put on a concert in Beijing; on the same day, they also released their first visual album in DVD edition. Also, in September, they won the "World Peace Award" by the World Culture Open (WCO) in South Korea.
At the invitation of the Dublin Chinese Committee, the Red Poppy Ladies' Percussion participated in the Spring Festival celebration jointly held by local Chinese and Dublin City Hall in Dublin, Ireland from February 7 to February 12, 2005. They also participated in the Chinese New Year celebration on London's Trafalgar Square at the invitation of the local Chinese merchants community in the United Kingdom on February 13.
In 2005, the band will visit the USA and perform in the Kennedy Art Center in Washington D.C.
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