LIKE the Fuyong migrant hip-hop dance troupe, a local dance troupe formed by a group of migrant workers who gained national fame overnight at this year’s CCTV Spring Festival gala, many amateur art troupes are active in Shenzhen. There are more than 5,000 troupes, specializing in songs and dances, catwalk, traditional operas, symphony music, magic and acrobat shows.

    The first amateur symphony orchestra in the city, Shuangshuang Symphony Orchestra is staffed by people from all walks of life. Among the players are physicians, white-collar workers, factory owners from Hong Kong, freelance musicians and retirees. Active in the OCT community, the orchestra has performed overseas. Two years ago, the members had to rehearse outdoors in the evening by the light of street lamps.

    “Yitian Holiday Plaza, Taoyuan Subdistrict Office and Xili Sports Center have all helped find places for us,” said Guan Limei, president of the orchestra. “We have luckily survived.” The orchestra now regularly rehearses at a training center in Taoyuancun, with two concerts on schedule in July at the Shenzhen University Town and Taoyuan community.

    The orchestra has grown quickly over the past two years. “We have more than 50 members, and many young girls are coming to join us,” Guan said.

    In a free public concert at Makan community, a sudden rain caught the audiences and the players. “We were soaked, but continued to the end, because the audiences too stood in the rain to listen,” Guan remembered.

    “We couldn’t have carried on had there not been support from the audiences,” she said.

    A grass-roots orchestra, Shuangshuang met warm welcome because the music they played was not “majestic and daunting,” nor “of bad tastes.” They seldom played complete symphony pieces, but chose from all types of works and made reasonable adaptations.

    “We don’t make a living with it. Technically we are not as good as professionals, but we have the same passion and love for music,” said Ling Chongbin, chief violinist of the troupe.

    Liyuan Art Troupe, performing Henan opera and other traditional Chinese operas, was formed a decade ago by fans of Henan opera. They have offered several hundred free shows in the city’s parks.

    Of the 50 members, some are graduates from professional schools, but many others are amateurs who love Chinese operas.

    “There are a large number of Chinese opera audiences in Shenzhen,” said Wang Tingliao, who started the troupe with his wife after retiring from an opera troupe in his hometown Henan. “Many Henan migrants have nostalgia and singing the opera of their hometown makes them feel better.”

    With their own playwrights, the troupe has created new shows that won them awards. In April 2009, their Henan opera show “The Arrogant Princess” and poem recital “My Beloved Motherland” won gold awards at the 10th Hong Kong International Senior Art Competition.

    “We gave a dozen performances last year,” Wang said. “For lack of money, we had to borrow equipment and costumes.”

    The only magic performing troupe in Shenzhen, Xinkuan Magic Troupe won the gold Wenhua Award in the category of magic and acrobatic show last December.

    “Most magicians performing in the city are amateurs,” said Xin Zhikuan, leader of the troupe. Formed in 2004, the troupe has 14 magicians and a similar number of other staff members.

    “People come to us out of a pure interest in magic. They come and go,” he said.

    The troupe gives commercial shows. Each year they go on a tour around the country. In December last year, the troupe gave a large-scale magic show at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. “We brought down the house,” Xin said. There are more than 7,000 magic fans and scores of magicians in Shenzhen. Magic is hot on campuses, with students from Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Polytechnic and other schools forming their own magic clubs.

    In Futian District, a choir formed solely of senior citizens is popular. Formed in 2002, the Fall’s Whisper troupe won the highest award in a national senior chorus festival in 2007.

    “Like me, most of the members of our troupe came to Shenzhen in the mid-1980s,” said Lu Bingxian, head of the choir. “We’ve lived through the hard years of building the city.”

    The oldest member of the troupe is 81 this year. “You wouldn’t believe how old he is. I figure that singing keeps us young,” Lu said. (Debra Li)