Panda Chant II

This piece is a section from The Games: A Science Fiction Opera by Meredith Monk and Ping Chong. Set on an imaginary planet, The Games takes place in a post-nuclear future where survivors and their descendants are involved in the repetition of ritual games re-enacting Earth’s culture in order to preserve the shards of civilization. Coming at the middle of the opera, "Panda Chant" is an energetic ritual performed by the whole community as preparation for the third game, Memory. Performance of this piece involves coordinating the vocal material with rhythmic stamps and claps that are part of the experience.