Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet Brings Chinese Tale to Life

A long time ago in China, there was a boy named Ping, and he had a special friend, Nieh. Ping and all the people of the land loved flowers. Now, the Emperor was growing old and needed to choose a successor. He decided to let the flowers choose.

A proclamation went out; stating that whoever wanted a chance at becoming the future Emperor should come to the palace. The children were all very excited and rushed off to see whether they might be chosen. Ping hesitated, but his friend encouraged him, and they joined the other children.

The children assembled before the Emperor and his majestic entourage. The Emperor explained, “Whoever can grow the most beautiful flower in a year’s time will become the new Emperor”. The Emperor handed a seed to each child, and the children ran off, eager to turn their seeds into beautiful flowers.

Months went by, and all of the children worked diligently to care for their flowers. There was just one problem- not a single seed was growing! The children came up with a brilliant idea: they would go to the marketplace and purchase new seeds from the workers. Little did they know that the Emperor’s assistant was watching.

Ping and Nieh were unaware of the other children’s ploy. All year long, the two of them watered and cared for the precious seed. After every season they would look hopefully into the flowerpot, only to find that it was still empty. Soon, all of the seasons had passed. Ping was left with a new year, and an empty pot.

Finally, the day came for the children to gather at the Emperor’s palace to present their flowers. All the children came marching jubilantly into the palace, eager to show off their beautiful blooms. Embarrassed and ashamed, Ping entered the palace quietly with his friend. When the other children saw Ping’s empty pot, they laughed and made fun of him. Suddenly, the Emperor arrived. The children held out their pots with pride. The Emperor again explained that whoever had the best flower would become the next Emperor. Just then, the Emperor’s assistant reached into the royal pot and threw a seed into the air, which turned into dust and fell to the ground. The Emperor stepped forward and said to the children, “The seeds I gave you had all been cooked, so it was impossible for any of them to grow.” Ping was the only honest and truthful one. The Emperor was so happy that Ping was brave enough to come forward and honestly present his empty pot that he declared Ping the next Emperor. He then ordered the execution of all of the children who had lied. But Ping was ever generous, and pleaded for the lives of his friends. The Emperor relented, sparing the children’s lives, and Ping and Nieh led everyone in a joyous celebration.

Performances will take place at the Akron Civic Theater.

• Saturday March 14th, 2009 at 2:30 and 7:30 pm.
• Sunday March 15th, 2009 at 2:30 pm.
  
  Tickets are reserved and may be purchased through Ticketmaster, the Civic Theater Box Office or by calling the CVYB general information line at 330.996.1100.

Prices are $25, $18, $12, with group discounts available and a scout discount of $10.00.