‘MGM Awakening Lion’ postponed due to pandemic

MGM China Holdings Ltd’s ethnic dance drama show titled “MGM Awakening Lion” has been postponed for three months from July to October due to the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Guangdong province, the group stated in a release yesterday.
According to the statement, the rearrangement was made taking into account the “recent epidemic situation in neighboring areas.” The move, MGM added, is intended to fall in line with “the anti-epidemic control measures by the Macau SAR government.”
The debut of the group’s residency show, originally slated to kick off in the MGM Theater at MGM Cotai from July 8 to 13, is now rescheduled to October 5 to 10 this year.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the postponement of this performance. We look forward to bringing you a spectacular show that pays homage to the classic cultural performance of the Greater Bay Area this coming October,” MGM stated.
The “MGM Awakening Lion” is an adaptation of the award-winning Chinese dance drama “Awakening Lion,” presented by the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre.
The main intention behind bringing the show to Macau is to “pass on the Lingnan heritage,” and “deepen the exchanges of cultural tourism in the Greater Bay Area (GBA),” Pansy Ho, co-chairperson and executive director of MGM said earlier at the launching ceremony of the show.
The show is filled with a plethora of Chinese traditional cultures, including lion dance, Southern Fist (Nanquan), dance performance, folk cultures, yet is also accentuated with modern and cinematic elements to appeal to the young audience.
It is the lead-off event of MGM’s visionary art project titled “MGM Lion IP (Intellectual Property),” featuring a collection of artistic tourist offerings across multiple genres and mediums — which the group has vowed to capitalize upon to help propel Macau towards becoming a premier “cultural city destination.”
In an earlier interview with the Times, Catarina Lio, vice president of Brand Marketing of MGM emphasized that “MGM Lion IP” is an “ongoing development,” through which MGM will collaborate with the Mainland and local artists to launch a series of art projects, including a quasi-fashion show event.