By Nick Christophers
She can sing, dance, act, paint and even write. What else can China native Lady Long Long do? Coming from an artistic family Lady Long Long was raised to appreciate and master the arts. At first she needed to travel to Europe and learn proper English as many Chinese families do. She spent time in England, France, Germany and Holland. She had a culture shock in Europe. Yet she made the best of it.
Her father was an opera singer and her mother a music teacher. The apple did not fall to far from the tree. Ms. Long Long soon wrapped herself up any artistic element she can get her hands on. She began her mission in writing at eleven when she submitted articles to the Chinese Central Magazine. At fifteen years old she created her own animation characters later put into a national TV series.
This was the beginning of a long lasting relationship with the arts. She would attend and pursue advanced classical voice studies at the Juilliard School. In addition she completed a Master of Business Administration in the Netherlands and a Certificate of English Studies in England. But before offering her sultry voice to the masses she worked on her paintings. In 2011 her works went on exhibit at UN Plaza One as a collaboration with the famous painter from China, Bin Wei Wu. The works were in a traditional Chinese style called rice painting with calligraphy.
Her work brought some accolades as she won the Honorary Citizen of Saddle Brook, New Jersey, the Genius Award (2011) by the World League of Artists of NY, the Outstanding Artist Award from the Asia Artists Association and in 2013 the Model Women award by the Latino Community of NY.
Ms. Long Long’s journey would take her south into the land of the Incas, Lima, Peru. There she performed to a select audience of Chinese and Peruvian notables. The solo singing concert was held at the famous Osma Museum in Lima in the same year she also had a show in Sichuan, China. Her talent did not go unnoticed as she was interviewed by the leading radio station that promotes the arts in Peru, “Filamonia”.
She has done a lot in a little bit of time and is always on the move. Her influence even reached Spain where she was asked to perform at the Liceu Barcelona Opera House after attending a gala for Queen Sofia. She also had the honor of being coached by Grammy nominee and background singer for Michael Jackson, Howard McCrary. He praised her voice and declared he became a fan.
As a singer she has traveled to many locations to perform. Besides Lima, Peru and China she was invited to perform for the President of the Dominican Republic. Presently, she will be the opening act for the Toronto Golden Maple International Short Film Festival.
“Performing in Peru was amazing. I was greeted there by Xiaoyan Zhu, the Chinese Cultural Consulate in Peru. It was an honor and the people there were so warm and made me feel at home. There is a large Chinese population there but I performed for both the Peruvians and Chinese.”
There are not many native Chinese actors that are gracing the screen or the stage nowadays. Lady Long Long feels like a pioneer. The Japanese and Korean actors have already made it into the mainstream market but not many native Chinese have. Yet Lady Long Long is due to make the difference. She is actually the first only Chinese actress to audition for the Broadway Cabaret Comedy Show, “Whatever Happened to Beverly Daniels”. It was something that she never expected to happen. Lady Long Long has found theatre to be the most challenging compared to TV or film.
“I found theatre the most challenging. You can’t call “cut” and do it over. You have to know your position on the stage, your lines. It is a combination of singing, dancing, talking and the ability to communicate with the audience.”
In another interesting venture she worked on an MTV video with Top Soca star KMC, KenMarlen Charles (King of the Dancehall) where she was the heroine. The video “Club On Fire” is due to be released on November 12th, 2015. As we mentioned earlier Lady Long Long began as a writer and is still on that path. She is looking to take the five fairy tales she has written over a fifteen year period of Chinese mythology knowledge and adapting them into film. One of her projects called the “Moon Goddess Chang’e” is in the works with a Chinese and American company as a film project.
Lady Long Long has managed to light up New York in the short time she has been here. She intends to continue this trend. But her biggest hope is to bring talented artists from East and West together to develop long lasting projects that have longevity. Her drive and passion for the arts are evident. Be on the lookout as Lady Long Long continues to build a bridge with her skills from East to West.
