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Manhu Residency in Prairie du Chien

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The five members of Manhu (front) join the students in a salute to Prairie du Chien’s school spirit Thursday afternoon. (Photos by Ted Pennekamp)

Several students had a good time learning a dance with members of Manhu.

R.J. Atkinson attempts to play a leaf while Chad Achenbach (55) gets ready for his turn.

Three members of Manhu perform before the student body in the gym at Prairie du Chien High School Thursday afternoon.

Bamboo flutes were among the many instruments played by Manhu.

 

Prairie students enjoy performance by Manhu

By Ted Pennekamp

 

The Prairie du Chien student body enjoyed a performance and cultural exchange Thursday afternoon with a band from China called Manhu. The five-person group provided an educational residency to Prairie du Chien Schools from Sept. 10 through Sept. 16, culminating in a concert in the Little Theatre Saturday night. Manhu, which means Fierce Tigers, also provided an educational residency to Wauzeka-Steuben Schools on Sept. 11. They performed for more than 1,350 students and more than 100 teachers during their residency.

Manhu’s residency and concert was sponsored by Midwest Arts World Fest, the first of four such events for Prairie du Chien over the next two years.

In addition to the group’s performance Thursday, several students took to the stage to learn a traditional dance of the Yi people of China. Three students were called upon to learn the art of making music by blowing on an ordinary leaf and the student body joined the members of Manhu in a rousing salute to Prairie du Chien school spirit.

Following the performance and presentation to the student body, Manhu joined the high school band in a fun workshop playing together and exploring the different instruments. Earlier in the day, the group shared conversation and culture with Chinese 3 students at the high school. 

Hailing from the Stone Forest of Yunnan Province in southwestern China, Manhu brings to life the traditions of the Yi people, an ethnic minority group with a rich musical history.

Playing the hulusheng, a mouth organ made from dried gourds, and even an ordinary leaf used as a reed, Manhu shares instruments and songs that are well-known in their homeland but rarely seen on an international stage.

The ensemble has performed throughout China, but this is their first international tour.

Manhu presents a fascinating reinvention of Yi music, most specifically from the Sani region of the Stone Forest in China’s Yunnan Province, an area geographically cut off from other Yi populations, and which has developed its own unique musical and cultural identity. Although often viewed as newcomers, Manhu has been playing together since 2003.

All the members can be officially considered Yi people. Yi are a very broad ethnic group encompassing at least six different languages, so to be more specific, Manhu belongs to the Sani people, one of the most distinctive subgroups of the Yi, possessing unique language, writing, and musical culture. Though they are Sani, Manhu have studied the music of some of the other Yi groups, so they have the knowledge and skills to perform music and dance traditions that represent the broad spectrum of Yi culture.

Manhu are multi-instrumentalists, proficient in a range of Yi instruments. However, Manhu has chosen to present an upbeat imagining of how these often inaccessible traditions can be adapted to a band situation. Featuring many locally iconic but internationally never-before-seen instruments, their sound is bewitching, leaving one puzzled that this kind of music should never have been exposed before. Truly authentic but highly creative, Manhu has performed at prestigious venues such as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Shanghai Music Hall.

In addition to Prairie du Chien High School, Manhu conducted workshops for elementary, middle school and high school students at Wauzeka-Steuben Public Schools, conducted workshops and cultural exchanges at Bluff View Intermediate School, conducted workshops at B.A. Kennedy Elementary School, and gave a performance at 3M Company of Prairie du Chien.

The Manhu musicians were impressed by their Wisconsin welcome and the park-like neighborhoods here. They enjoyed the new experiences of a boat cruise on the Mississippi River,  a visit to a local dairy farm,  a high school football game and half-time show and stops at several local businesses.

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