I was at a Chinese wedding this week, and we were about six courses into a fourteen course meal when the karaoke machine was started up in the restaurant where the banquet was held. The bride and groom encouraged everyone to sing, and hopefully I wasn't disrespectful by refusing (I was far from being the only one to do so) but singing at a wedding isn't really one of my strengths. I find it difficult to carry through with a karaoke performance, in large part because I can't keep a straight face during those exceptionally corny background videos.
Of course, many people are quite at home in front of a karaoke machine and a crowd. In a performance that transcended language barriers, one man sang a serious, operatic tune but did so in a mock comical manner (including generous usage of falsetto) that had many of us in stitches. There were a few ensemble numbers of Chinese pop songs, some Gershwin (a ballsy performace of "Summertime"), a Russian folk song (with lyrics transcribed into Chinese), and of course, the song which no wedding can be without -- "Last Christmas" by Wham (complete with video depicting solely summer activities).
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