Confucius Classroom at Maxim Gorky Secondary School under the Confucius Institute in Sofia Was Invited to Participate in the Turandot Performance at the State Opera House

On April 23–24, the Confucius Classroom at Maxim Gorky Secondary School, under the Confucius Institute in Sofia, was invited to attend the Turandot performance at the State Opera Stara Zagora. The performance attracted more than 200 audience members.

Ognyan Draganov, director of the Turandot production, invited 12th-grade student Veronika Stoyanova from the Confucius Classroom at Maxim Gorky Secondary School to join the performers on stage and showcase her artistic talent. Veronika presented a distinctive “Dancing with the Dragon” performance, which she skillfully integrated into the storyline of Turandot, offering the audience a refreshing and innovative experience.

During the intermission, at the invitation of Georgi Mitev, Marketing Director of the State Opera Stara Zagora, the Confucius Classroom set up a Chinese cultural booth on the first floor of the opera house. The booth featured traditional Chinese fans, Peking opera masks, Chinese knots, qipao, Hanfu, and other cultural items, attracting many audience members to stop, enjoy the display, and take photos to remember the moment.

In addition to the cultural booth, the Confucius Classroom also organized an artistic performance. A total of nine students, including Veronika Stoyanova, Elitsa Kovacheva, Teodora Taseva, Yana Miteva, Karina Karpuzova, Vanesa Dimova, Rumyana Georgieva, Gabriela Dobreva, and Stefani-Kristin Nikolova, presented a spectacular traditional Chinese dragon dance performance. The atmosphere was lively, and the applause was continuous.

The cooperation between the Confucius Classroom and the State Opera Stara Zagora not only vividly showcased the artistic talents of students from Maxim Gorky Secondary School, but also further expanded opportunities for exchange between Chinese language teaching and fields such as theatre and music. In the future, the Confucius Classroom looks forward to developing deeper cooperation with more cultural and artistic institutions, thereby promoting mutual learning and exchange between China and Bulgaria in the field of humanities.

Source: Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text: Zhu Jinli

Photos: State Opera Stara Zagora, Zhu Jinli

Reviewed by: Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva, Ding Chen

English translation: Dima Pironkova