Chinese New Year Workshops Mark the Year of the Tiger

This week's Chinese New Year marks the start of the Year of the Tiger. In Chinese tradition, the tiger denotes enthusiasm, ambition, courage and leadership. To mark this we invited 'West End in Schools' in to run some wonderful dance workshops, based on the origin story of the Chinese Zodiac - The Great Race.

Legend has it that the Jade Emperor invited all the animals to a Great Race, promising the first twelve animals to cross the river would each have a year named after them. From the quick-witted Rat, who was the first to reach the finish line, to the Pig who came in twelfth, after stopping mid-race to snack and nap, the animals who completed the race represent the twelve-year Zodiac cycle.

To run this workshop we went straight to the top - 'West End in Schools' uses West End performers to run school workshops. Having bone fide actors certainly did add a West End sparkle to these fantastic workshops for years Two, Three and Four. During the sessions each class was led by an expert choreographer, working to recreate the characters in the story. Featuring music and movement, inspired by traditional and contemporary Chinese culture, it gave our children a great opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture.