Date: October 8, 2023 Time: 9:30am – 3:30pm Location: John Wooden Center – Pyramid Room
Checklist – Dress in all-black attire (preferably form fitting) – Bring ballet shoes (you can wear socks if you don’t have them for now) – Tie hair up in a bun – Bring water – Relax and have fun!
Open House Schedule
You do not have to stay for the entire Open House! If you already know which dances you would like to try out, just come at the time when those are being taught! Videos of the dances are listed in the previous post.
Weekly Dance Practice Schedule (Fall Quarter)
Refer to this schedule to see which dances you will have time for.
The classical dance “Gathering Weeds” is from the dance drama “Confucius”, which portrays the ideal world that Confucius longed for. Confucius aspired to travel through the various states, but he was repeatedly dismissed and never gained the recognition he sought. He was saddened by the suffering of the people, and understood that achieving his ideals was a difficult and distant path. Nevertheless, he remained steadfast in his principles. He could envision a world of great harmony – a world where students revered their teachers, rulers gained the trust of their people, and the citizens lived in peace and contentment. In a fleeting moment, it was as if young girls in their prime came dancing. The dance portrays such a serene and carefree scene. The dance selects four lines from the “Book of Poetry, Minor Odes of the Kingdom – Gathering Weeds,” which go: “In the past, when I went there, the willow trees were lush. Now, as I think back, there is a drizzle of rain and snow.” The dancers, with their graceful, lively, and joyful movements, depict a beautiful world like the Peach Blossom Spring, highlighting the vast gap between reality and ideals. The great “Dao” is still a journey ahead.
Traditional Dai ethnic dance is inspired by the water-rich lands found throughout the Yunnan province in southern China. In “Intoxicated,” a sisterhood of Dai women come together in their distinct flat bamboo hats and floor-length narrow skirts to honor this deeply-rooted connection between nature and life. With uniquely sinuous movements and sharply angled poses, these dancers evoke the feeling of a river that is forever shaping the earth beneath their feet.
“A Moonlit Trek” is a Chaoxian dance that expresses the character of the Chaoxian girls, subtle and simultaneously tough yet delicate, through acts of admiring the moon. At the beginning of the dance, the moon is obscured behind fickle clouds blown by a breeze and the innocent girls gather in the open fields hoping to see it. Their strong desires turn into strong winds and push aside the clouds, revealing a full moon that together with the moonlit girls interweave into a beautiful and elegant picture.
Filled with charm, elegance, and unbridled energy, “Scholars With “Paper Fans,” illustrates the refined and gentlemanly qualities, graceful demeanor, cultured disposition, and spirited temperament of the classical Chinese scholar. The dynamic movements of the paper fans and the rippling of the robes brings a group of ancient scholars to life.
“Dreams of Fishing in Yuyang” is a Han folk dance. Through the use of bamboo hats, this piece portrays villagers fishing side by side against the backdrop of a beautiful ocean sunset. The audience are invited to share in the villagers’ feelings of delight and contentment.
“Blossoming Pomegranates” is a Xinjiang dance characterized by vibrant dresses and tambourines which mirror pomegranate flowers in full bloom. The pomegranate fruit has deep roots in Xinjiang culture, symbolizing fertility, abundance, and prosperity.
“Alive” is a Tibetan dance that deeply reflects the Tibetan folk principles that all things are reincarnated and that death is an inevitable part of the cycle of universal life. The dancers’ movements are bold and their jumps vigorous, showing the great value they place in being alive, for if the beginning is equivalent to the end, then there is no need to live in fear.
The classical dance “Tang Yin”, or “The Awakening of the Tang Figurines” revives the splendor of the Tang Dynasty through ancient Tang Sancai figurines. The dance portrays their revival in the night, reflecting the grandeur of the prosperous Tang era. However, as the dance concludes, the lively figurines transform back into sculptures, as if everything is once again buried in the dust of history. This dance not only depicts the figurines’ journey from life to sculpture but also conveys the rise and fall of the great Tang Dynasty, echoing the natural cycles of “Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows Nature.”
Chinese Cultural Dance Club at UCLA 