China Theatre Day for students

In the LAK theater is Wednesday, February 8 a Chinese-Dutch theater show ("Deal") held for students, directed by former Chinese student Kathinka de Ruiter. The hall was almost full with students who have chosen Chinese as a subject. In the show, partly in Chinese and partly in Dutch was spoken, the students recognized words they had learned during the lessons.

Push

It is crowded to the doors of the LAK theater. The students all have a ticket waiting for the China Theater afternoon, an afternoon of Chinese music, dance and theater. Ties Boonzajer, the male protagonist, does this for a year now and looking forward to it: "It is an improvisational piece: we will then sit around and wonder what we will do. There is often also equal a role for everyone.

Ni hao

Soon we hear the Chinese greet Ni hao on stage. The players explain the students a glimpse at "in the lecture about everyone with his head nodding to the right to speak out," says Debbie to Rick (played by Ties) as they put him in the play the words ni hao is learning. He would love a deal with a major Chinese company, but he himself speaks no word of Chinese. His girlfriend Debbie, who is studying Chinese must go help him. When they are together in China, the voltage between the two, resulting in beautiful and funny moments on stage.

Words from teaching method

"I think they have a lot to understand," said Ans van Broekhuijzen de Rooij, Chinese teacher. She has written himself a Chinese textbook for high school students in the Netherlands. "They tried to vocabulary in the play to adapt to the books used in school," explains Van Broekhuizen explained, "so it is a well thought out piece because it matches the level of secondary students."

Singing and dancing

To the audience completely in Chinese culture immersion, in addition to the bilingual play "Deal!" a number of short performances: a Tai Chi demonstration and two singing Chinese songs. "The goal of the show is for children who are still in high school has something to learn from China and Chinese and the confrontation between two cultures," says Kathinka de Ruiter, director. She has studied Chinese in Leiden and find it very fun to directing: "Yes, it is one of the things I aspire to," she says to the question whether this is her dream job.

Nice!

The students found the play great. "Great!" was also the response to the question what they thought of the play. Noa schoolgirl was particularly impressed by the clothes worn on stage, and Julia and Dieuwertje found it especially nice that the play was in two languages: "if you must just not understand the Chinese, then you understood the or again by the Dutch.