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Cultural celebration marks end of Millennium Summit |
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September 11, 2000
NEW YORK (AP) - Thousands celebrated the end of the U.N. Millennium Summit at a cultural show featuring a Chinese acrobat balancing parasols, American soul and Broadway singers and Filipino dancers imitating the movements of birds and fish. The audience at the Paramount Theater at Madison Square Garden included Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou-Nguesso - one of more than 150 world leaders who attended the three-day summit which ended Friday. Chinese ambassador to the United States Li Zhaoxing also attended. "We're going to spell love and peace - you can't find two better words," American soul singer Ella Mitchell said after belting out two numbers, "Oh, Brother" and "Peaceful Waters." The audience was treated to a cultural smorgasbord, which reflected the summit itself. Spanish Flamenco dancer Andrea del Conte strutted with castanets. American tap dancer Tarik Winston spun across the stage on his toes and landed in a split. Chinese musician Chi Li played the erhu, a traditional string instrument. Belly dancers silenced the crowd with seductive movements. The Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company, in fabulous traditional costume, performed breathtaking swordplay. Angela Covington, 17, an American who toured in the 20th anniversary revival of "Evita," sang "The Greatest Love of All" with Gilles Chiasson, who was in the original cast of "Rent" and toured nationally with "Les Miserables." The audience also saw the world premiere of Homeland, a Mongolian dance portraying the affection and connection between people and Earth. Native American Cliff Mathias of the Redhawk Indian Arts Council, performed a dance with hoops, leaping through them and swirling them in the air. As a finale, he formed a globe with the rings and held it over his head, to great applause. The celebration was sponsored by more than 200 U.S. and Canadian societies and multinational arts ensembles. Pianist Yun Sun, the event's executive director, said the show was a demonstration of support for world leaders, who concluded the summit by adopting a declaration to worked toward ending poverty and war in the 21st century. |