Secretary of State Hilary Clinton with students from Cal State Northridge and Shanghai Normal University at the State Department’s Shanghai Expo gala dinner.
Perusing the list of performers scheduled for the Shanghai Expo’s US Pavilion in May, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton lit up when she saw the name Cal State Northridge. Clinton remembered Northridge from her husband’s speech here in 1995 and her own campaign stop in 2008.
The State Department called Peter Grego, chair of the Department of Theatre to ask if CSUN theatre students would present a performance for Clinton and her guests at a gala dinner she was hosting on May 22nd . Clinton, who personally spearheaded fundraising for the US Pavilion planned the celebration to thank donors whose contributions had made its construction possible. Grego’s response? A delighted “yes!”
China Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo.
Northridge students teamed up with students from Shanghai Normal University to perform “Meet Me at the Expo,” a song and dance medley. Their bilingual version of “City” the Expo’s official theme song turned out to be the show-stopping moment of the evening.
Most attendees had only heard “City,” performed in Mandarin by Jackie Chan.
“Waiters pouring coffee stopped midsteam,” said Grego “and Clinton’s guests, many of them CEOs of top American companies put their cell phones aside to listen. The room became dead silent as everyone heard in wonderment the English words of “City.”
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said senior theatre student Matt Hohmann. “We crossed cultural and language barriers to put on a show with the Shanghai Normal students and we brought down the house.
Students performing at America’s Square.
“The students later recreated their performance at the America’s Square outdoor stage in the US Pavilion for hugely appreciative crowds. Between performances, they visited the 1304-acre Expo, more than 15 times larger than California’s 83-acre Disneyland.
“China’s Pavilion was the most popular attraction,” said Hohmann “but the fair offered lots of variety including any kind of food you wanted from Turkish and Bulgarian restaurants to an Irish pub.
Hohmann’s most memorable meal? Ostrich wraps at the African Pavilion.
Ostrich wrap served at the African Pavilion.
To hear Jackie Chan performing “City,” go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ePOYVLSGVk
-Julia Venkateswaran
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