“Guardians of Earth and Sky”/Photo: Penny Li
Summer in the city can be grueling—and, especially in Chicago, so can winter—yet like every major metropolis, this one offers seasonal artistic delights you should grab while they last. As a recent transplant, I’m still a little sad, in July, to be missing Philadelphia’s Shakespeare in Clark Park. But I can say for sure that I’d happily add “Guardians of the Earth and Sky” to my new list of summertime musts. And having witnessed their rapt attention at the opening performance, next time I’d bring kids from ages kindergarten and up.
Now in its third year, Irene Hsiao’s “Guardians,” part of the city’s “Nights Out in the Parks,” takes place this time around in three of the city’s great ones: it opened at Palmisano Park, the original site; then goes to Ping Tom Park; then to Jackson Park. Arrive right on time, at 2pm, and you can make a paper fan that features one of the celestial figures of Han Dynasty lore who anchor the exploration of the seasons: autumn’s White Tiger of the West, winter’s Black Tortoise of the North, spring’s Azure Dragon of the East and summer’s Red Bird of the South. Then you embark on an hour of storytelling, with ASL interpretation, movement and music over the course of a mile walk.
On opening day, we pass through brilliant sunshine to a rare shady spot, where storyteller Penny Li, our guide, offers a brief history of the Chinese in America before we step onto the manicured paths that wind through Palmisano’s tall fields of wildflowers. There’s a bit about the park’s interesting past, then the first leg of our journey transports us to the near future. We are asked to picture White Tiger Amanda Maraist among falling leaves as she rises from her languorous pose atop a rock sculpture. Accompanied simply and beautifully by singer Paige Brown and musician Hunter Diamond, she prowls along the circumference of her spot before ending with a nap on another rock.
Our next stop, winter, might feel foreboding were it not for the riveting presence of Darling Shear as the Black Tortoise. We look on from a distance—a bridge above a promontory—and observe them first only from the back, their self-designed cape trailing elegantly as they stare out at the water. When Shear sweeps around and approaches us, the audience naturally parts to line their path and receive with respect the grand gestures of their flowing arms.
Tai chi master Peter Wong, the Azure Dragon of spring, maintains a more internal focus as he moves through his expert paces. It takes a moment to realize that Hsiao’s burning summer presence is already in looming in the background. She glides slowly toward us with tiny wind chimes on both hands.
Everyone, including the willing audience members, joins in the circle dance that makes a fitting finale. Here the Guardians—and so the seasons—interweave, evoking the mix of memory and anticipation that, for adults, marks the passage of time. The kids, for their part, seem to gain a bit of knowledge and have a lot of fun.
“Guardians of the Earth and Sky” at Jackson Park, 6300 South Cornell, Sunday, July 26 at 2pm; at Ping Tom Park (rescheduled), 1700 South Wentworth, Tuesday, July 28 at 6pm, with narration in English and Mandarin. Tickets are free; RSVP on Eventbrite recommended.
