Face changing comes to Dulwich College for Founder's Day

Colin from Dulwich International High School Zhuhai treated hundreds of parents, students and guests to a brilliant face-changing performance at Dulwich College's annual Founder's Day in London, held on a sunny afternoon in early July.

Face-changing, or bian lian, is a 300-year old Chinese form of magic with roots in Sichuan opera, and is notoriously difficult to master. Moving to fast, dramatic music, performers wear vividly coloured costumes and masks, typically depicting well known opera characters, which they change in a flash, with the swipe of a fan, a movement of the head or a wave of the hand.

Founder’s Day at Dulwich College is an annual event recognising the College's Founder and Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, celebrating student achievements throughout the school, such as music, drama, sports, science and language. This year, the theme was Contemporary : Renewal and Innovation, marking the latest developments on campus, such as The Laboratory, the renovation of the Barry Building and the recently planted Lime Tree Walk.

The Dulwich College International marquee showcased achievements from across the group, giving the boys at the founding school an insight into life at DCI schools. Many were impressed by the number of schools in Asia, as well as the quality of the network events and high academic achievements of the DCI students. They enjoyed reading messages sent from our students to them, and responded with a few messages of their own.

Colin's performance was a major highlight of DCI's presence at the event. Dr Spence, the Master of Dulwich College, Dr Pyke, the Deputy Master and Christian Guertler, the CEO of DCI, were pleased to congratulate him on an outstanding performance.

Watch video: Interview with Dr Joseph Spence, The Master of Dulwich College

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