Yang got the call from Lydia's teacher on Christmas Eve. She was yanking Lydia as the English MC. The English MC's job entailed standing in front of the audience and saying "Good afternoon ladies! I am  from the middle class. Happy Holidays and lets get on with the show!" It seemed Lydia had no inclination to learn these lines. She can sometimes get a little nervous when told to do something but is quite fine when allowed to find her own way. A bit like her father. And most grownups. So instead she performed in a couple of dance routines and I must say she was the best dancer. I must say. Actually, she was pretty good. Especially compared to the MC who replaced her. See for yourself..Lydia is leading the charge on stage proud of her new hairstyle (she rejected the first three).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDvc7xUDBB8&hl=en&fs=1]

The performance was held in an auditorium a Chinese Elementary school a few blocks from our house and a few blocks on the other direction from their kindergarten school. It was the first time I remember being inside a real Chinese elementary school. I must say, it was a lot nicer than I expected. Clean halls. Organized. Classrooms clearly labeled. Large well maintained sports field. Teachers working without whips. Students paying attention. Sure, the auditorium had posters of Marx, Engel, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao but who notices such things? Here's a short clip of Elisa and Yang with the leaders in the background. Wonder where W is?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z6abT2FAIk&hl=en&fs=1]

A related pic of Elisa, Lenin, and Me. I'm the one with the hair.

There were actually two shows. One at 10am that Aidan was in and another at 3:30pm that Aidan and Lydia were in. The 10am show was a bit of a mess for Aidan as there were too many boys on the stage at the same time. He starred in 3:30pm show, in his own very serious way. The crowed cheered for him during his "solo" and again later during his march. For some reason he really reminded me of Donnie. When I told Yang this, she asked me if Donnie was short too. Here's a good picture of Aidan in a dance number with the makeup the put on him followed by the video clip of his peking opera performance.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm_KiU6q_b8&hl=en&fs=1]