A Year in the Making, a Moment on Stage.
In LEGENDS: Chang’e Flies to the Moon, composer-conductor Bin He’s greatest challenge was not just retelling a myth, but forging six movements, 17 instruments, 360 pages of score, nearly 200 performers, and multiple teams into one breathtaking stage dream.
Vision Leads • Unity Builds
LEGENDS, now in its third year, grew from the vision of Board Chair Janny Tso and the support of CEO Yulan Chung. One saw a new way to bring Chinese culture into the mainstream; the other helped bring it to the stage.
Through LEGENDS, performers of different ethnicities, generations, and backgrounds have come together. Musicians, dancers, aerialists, and crews have joined on one stage to do what once seemed impossible.
He Bin said it is more than a production. It is a way to unite the community. What makes LEGENDS powerful is not just the myths it tells, but how it turns shared vision, talent, and cultural purpose into something alive.
Original Bridges • Myth Reborn
He Bin said the Center chose original musical theater for a simple reason: there was nothing ready-made that fit.
Its stage blends Chinese and Western music, dance, martial arts, gymnastics, aerials, and visual storytelling. With no existing score or model to follow, the team had to build it from scratch.
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That, he said, became LEGENDS’ greatest strength. Instead of forcing performers into an existing work, the production is shaped around the stage, the cast, and the story itself.
For He Bin, music sits at the heart of LEGENDS because it has no borders. It is the one language that can truly bind movement, theater, and image—and help more audiences hear, see, and feel Chinese stories.
Moon Chosen • Stage Perfect
Why Chang’e Flies to the Moon this Year? Bin He’s answer was clear.
First, Mid-Autumn is already familiar to many in mainstream America. People know mooncakes and the moon, but not always Chang’e’s story.
Just as important, the tale is made for the stage: Hou Yi shooting down the suns brings power, Chang’e’s ascent brings lift, their separation brings emotion, and the story closes in reunion. It has scale, motion, and heart.
But what moved Bin He most was not simply that it was stage-worthy. It was that it deserved to be reimagined. He said he did not want to write just the story of a beautiful fairy rising to the moon, but of a woman with emotional depth.
In this production, Chang’e is not only a mythic figure. She is kind, brave, independent, and willing to bear loneliness for a greater love. That is what makes the story moving—not just the flight, but the choice behind it.
That also makes this new LEGENDS chapter different from the start: it draws audiences not only with a familiar myth, but with deeper feeling.
Year Forged • Six Waves
Chang’e Flies to the Moon began in March 2025, with Bin He’s first melodic sketch. Full-scale creation ran from June to January, making this year’s production the result of nearly a year of work.
The music was never written first and staged later. Every section was shaped around the performers—their stamina, timing, movement, and limits. In this production, music, movement, story, and character were built together.
The show unfolds in six movements, from Hou Yi Shoots the Suns to Mid-Autumn Reunion, rising and falling in waves. What makes it stand out is not just spectacle, but the depth of its emotion and pacing.
Seventeen Resound • Scores Soar
This year’s Chang’e Flies to the Moon expands both in scale and artistry, with 17 Chinese and Western instruments creating a richer, more cinematic sound.
Trumpet and drums drive Hou Yi’s heroism. Hulusi and saxophone shape the romance between Hou Yi and Chang’e.
Huangmei-style touches add familiarity, while erhu, violin, and irregular rhythms sharpen tension. Xiao, harp, and guzheng bring mystery to the celestial scenes.
For Bin He, instruments are not just accompaniment, but color, character, and atmosphere.
The scale is equally striking: six movements and about 360 pages of full score, plus separate parts and demo tracks for dancers, aerialists, and performers. What audiences see as one performance is built on a mountain of sound, rhythm, and time.
Two Cities • One Vision
Chang’e Flies to the Moon also brings a special challenge this year: long-distance collaboration.
That means the show is developed across two cities, shaped through long-distance collaboration, and ultimately brought together on one stage.
Different rehearsal systems, performance styles, and stage rhythms all have to land in sync on the same night. Add nearly 200 performers, musicians, and crew, and the scale of coordination is enormous.
With about 80 in the orchestra, plus dancers, martial artists, aerialists, and crew, every rehearsal is a major operation. Many performers also come from across the community, making LEGENDS a true collective effort.
Live Decides • Magic Rises
The hardest part is not finishing the score, but making every element work live onstage.
Dancers rehearse to demo tracks, but the show runs live. A six-minute section can carry more than 20 cues, while aerial performers must stay in sync with music, lighting, and imagery.
What audiences see is wonder; what makes it possible is months of precision and repetition.
That is what sets Chang’e Flies to the Moon apart. It does not simply stage a familiar myth. It fuses music, dance, martial arts, aerials, animation, live orchestra, and emotional depth into one fully realized theatrical dream.
From the force of Hou Yi shooting down the suns, to the tenderness between Hou Yi and Chang’e, to the mystery of the elixir, the tension of the aerial duet, and the gentle close of Mid-Autumn reunion, every step draws the audience deeper in.
For those who have never seen a LEGENDS musical, Bin He’s invitation is simple: some shows cannot be understood through description alone.
You have to be there. What Chang’e Flies to the Moon offers is not just a familiar legend, but a cultural gift best experienced live.
On May 30, as the moon rises, the myth will breathe again at Segerstrom Hall. Bring your family and see how LEGENDS turns Chang’e into one of the year’s most unforgettable nights.
