IT IS the ancient story of The Butterfly Lovers told in a new way: with beat-boxing, jazz and pop songs, and Juz-B, an a cappella group of Malay singers who sing fluently in Mandarin.

This year's Chinese Cultural Festival is showcasing the best of Chinese drama, music and dance by infusing traditional art forms with a Western flavour.

Held once every two years, the month-long event will run from Saturday to March 22 and feature 113 programmes in a wide array of genres, from Chinese opera to martial arts to tea art. It is organised by a committee drawn from governmental, business and civic organisations like the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations and Singapore Press Holdings.

The 12-year-old festival is themed Traditional Culture, Modern Spirit, and it shows in the canny amalgamation of Eastern and Western influences in the programming.

The dance musical Love & Destiny by the People's Association is a retelling of the Butterfly Lovers, a romantic tragedy set in the Eastern Jin dynasty about a young couple torn apart by social forces.

Chinese composers He Zhanhao and Chen Gang's seminal 1958 orchestral composition is updated with pop and jazz standards and the outdoor musical also incorporates beat-boxing, a form of vocal percussion derived from hip-hop; Chinese clapper-talk, a quick and snappy monologue set to the rhythm of bamboo clappers; modern dance and ballroom dance in the narrative.

Local a cappella group Juz-B (main head picture) was also roped in to lend the event some star wattage and an inter-racial edge.

One of its six members, Khairul Afwan Rohizan, 26, says with a laugh: 'People ask us to sing Mandarin songs more often than English ones at gigs. Every time we sing a Mandarin song, their eyes light up and they clap even harder.

'The stereotype when you see a bunch of Malay boys onstage is that they'll sing Malay or English so when we do sing in Mandarin, it's a pleasant surprise.'

The group shot to fame two years ago when they took part in the Mandarin singing competition, SuperBand, and placed in the top eight.

Khairul says: 'We thought it was quite cool when we were approached to do the performance.'

The group is no stranger to learning Mandarin songs, albeit of the pop and rock variety, and count Mandarin pop singer Wang Lee Hom's hit ballad Kiss Goodbye as one of their staples.

Another East-West flavoured performance is the Hokkien opera Forced To Become A Physician by the Chinese Opera Institute.

It is adapted from French playwright Moliere's 1666 farce, The Doctor In Spite Of Himself, about the adventures of a woodcutter who is mistaken for a doctor.

The crossover fare also includes the Singapore Chinese Orchestra's performance of Chinese and Western folk and opera songs and the festival opening performance, which fuses live action with movie footage.

New take on old stories

The chairman of the festival's steering committee, Mr Seow Choke Meng, who is executive vice-president (Administration Division and Cultural Industry Promotion) in Singapore Press Holdings' Chinese Newspapers Division, says: 'If we want to attract more younger Singaporeans to participate in and attend these programmes, we need to showcase programmes that incorporate some modernity and yet maintain the intrinsic elements of Chinese tradition.

'The Chinese Singaporeans who are more English speaking have always been our target. Thus, the festival will be a platform for them to participate in and understand more about Chinese culture and heritage.'

To that end, Love & Destiny's artistic director Fan Dong Kai, 45, has done away with a theatrical rendition of The Butterfly Lovers' mournful tale. Instead of having lead characters Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai declare their undying love in speeches and gestures, he has them performing ballroom dance and even a pas de deux while encased in a 3m-wide transparent balloon.

Such modern manoeuvres are aimed at attracting a younger and more diverse crowd to the festival. Currently 20 per cent of the festival's audience is non-Chinese and Mr Seow hopes for that figure to increase.

And if purists sniff at these newfangled East-West hybrids, Chinese cultural experts and aficionados say that cultural imports are hardly new and are a centuries-old practice which extends and re-invigorates the original art form.

The Chinese Opera Institute's artistic director, Dr Chua Soo Pong, says: 'Even in traditional theatre like Chinese opera, creative development is the key. There are always new interpretations, new approaches and new ways of examining old stories.'

Fan adds: 'Every art form has its own format but the format will eventually limit the development of the art form. If you break it up, you can breathe new life into the art.'

The Singapore Chinese Orchestra's music director Yeh Tsung, 57, says: 'It doesn't matter if it's French, Chinese or English music. To me, there're only three kinds - good, bad and so-so.

'The history of Chinese music developed through all kinds of external influences. The yang qin and pipa came to China through the Silk Road and the erhu section was not a part of the Chinese orchestral ensemble till much later.

'Our ancestors had very open minds and accepted whatever good things they encountered. We're just continuing the process.'

Asked if there may be audience fatigue for Chinese-themed events since the festival comes hot on the heels of the Esplanade arts centre's Huayi Chinese Arts Festival, Mr Seow says: 'There're more choices for Singaporeans, which means more vibrancy and the flourishing of events to promote Chinese arts and culture.'

Highlights

HERE are four highlights of the Chinese Cultural Festival:

Comic dialogue drama Ming Chun Qu (right)

Where: Singapore Conference Hall

When: Saturday and Sunday, 8pm

Price: $20 to $80

What it's about: First performed in 2000, this cross-talk comedy fuses razor-sharp dialogue, comic live action and video footage of old operas and movies to trace the development of cross-talk over the last 100 years.

Creator Jiang Kun, 58, says: 'It started from traditional cross-talk and followed the art form as it was passed from generation to generation. Cross-talk is not conservative and unchanging. It's revolutionary.'

Why watch: More than 200 performances have been staged in China and overseas and Jiang proudly claims that everyone who has seen it so far gives the performers a standing ovation.

Cultural seminar on Xuan Zang (Monk Tripitaka) and Jian Zhen by Qian Wenzhong

Where: SPH Media Centre Auditorium, 82 Genting Lane

When: March 8, 2pm

Price: $12

What it's about: Renowned Chinese scholar Qian Wenzhong - the last student of Ji Xianlin, one of China's eminent linguists and foremost Indologists - gives a talk on the lives of Xuan Zang and Jian Zhen, the Tang dynasty's highest authorities on Buddhism.

Why watch: Brainiacs and Chinese intellectuals will relish the chance to engage with an academic giant. Qian is reputed to be such a charismatic speaker that his appearance on CCTV last March resulted in viewership figures for the programme hitting an all-time high.

Operas, Musicals And Folk Tunes concert

Where: Singapore Conference Hall

When: March 14 and 15, 8pm

Price: $21 to $52

What it's about: Three Asian opera heavyweights - Hong Kong-born soprano Nancy Yuen, Korean tenor Lee Jae Wook and Chinese bass singer Liu Yue Ming - lend their voices for a melodious evening of Chinese and Western folk tunes and opera songs such as As The River Flows East and O Solemio.

Why watch: The Singapore Chinese Orchestra, led by music director Yeh Tsung, has had some unusual collaborations in recent years, performing with American jazz musician Chris Brubeck and playing pop concerts with singers like Joi Chua.

Yeh, 57, says: 'We've worked very hard in the last few years to break out of the image that Chinese orchestral music is only for my mum, dad or grandparents. Chinese orchestral music can be fun and light too.'

Love & Destiny

Where: Singapore Botanic Gardens, Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage

When: March 22, 6pm

Price: Free

What it's about: This dance musical riffs on the ancient romantic tragedy of The Butterfly Lovers and updates the quintessentially Chinese tale for a modern Asian audience.

Weaving ballroom dance, beat-boxing, Chinese clapper-talk, artistic gymnastics, classical and jazz music into an audio-visual spectacle, this extensive production by the People's Association still retains 'the spirit of Liang Zhu', according to the show's choreographer and producer Fan Dong Kai.

Why watch: If the story doesn't tug at your heart-strings, the gimmicks will have you tickled. Get set for lush melodies, fast and fancy footwork as well as LED-lit remote-controlled butterflies.

The Chinese Cultural Festival runs from Saturday to March 22. For programme information and tickets, log on to www.chineseculturalfestival.com.sg