Chinese Cultural Dance Club showcase incorporates history, traditions
(Miriam Bribiesca/Daily Bruin)
“Lotus Steps 2014: Origins” is the 14th annual dance showcase organized by the UCLA Chinese Cultural Dance Club. This year’s theme, “Origins,” delves into classical Chinese dance forms and emphasizes the traditions and narratives of minority groups within China.
By Lilit Arakelyan
April 25, 2014 12:41 a.m.
As a Chinese cultural dancer dons a long, flowing traditional costume and deftly executes lotus steps, it seems as though she is effortlessly floating across the stage.
“Lotus Steps 2014: Origins” is the 14th annual dance showcase organized by the UCLA Chinese Cultural Dance Club. The performance, which will take place in Royce Hall this Saturday, aims to bring light to the diverse cultural dances that have come out of China. “Origins,” this year’s theme, delves not only into classical Chinese dance forms, but also emphasizes the traditions and narratives of minority groups within China as well.
“There are two aspects to Chinese cultural dance,” said Yue Ming Huang, a third-year environmental science student and internal president of CCDC. “There’s the ethnical aspect that is about the minorities, and there’s also the classical Chinese dance that involves ballet and a contemporary aspect.”
Preparation for the annual event is a long process that begins every year during the first week of fall quarter, said Tiffany Liang, a third-year biology student and artistic director of CCDC. Prospective members audition, are placed in their respective dances based on skill level and then begin their weekly rehearsals up until the “Lotus Steps” showcase in the spring.
But their education in Chinese dance is not limited to choreography. Huang said the club stresses the importance of becoming well-acquainted with each individual dance’s history.
“Especially for minority dances, there’s so much cultural richness behind them, and just learning about why they’re doing such a dance is really important to know how to express the right emotions while dancing,” Huang said.
“Lotus Steps” includes dances representing the Li, Zhuang and Dai minority groups, a small sample of the 55 ethnic minorities officially recognized in China. Given the rural background of many of these groups, all of the minority dances featured in the showcase this year hone in on the element of water as an integral component of life. For example, the dance “Song of the Zhuang” depicts the Zhuang minority from the mountainous region of Guangxi celebrating the splendor of the landscape and the many rivers found in their homeland.
Michelle Wong, a fourth-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student and logistics president of CCDC, said this tribute to water is another reflection of this year’s theme.
“In the (‘Song of the Zhuang’) dance, the movements are really soft, and during the whole dance we pretend that we are water,” Wong said. “A lot of minority groups use water as a base, and it just develops from the base on, the idea of it.”
Apart from preparing for “Lotus Steps,” CCDC is regularly booked to perform outside of UCLA for events commemorating the Chinese New Year, corporate banquets and presentations at middle schools, where the members often teach children the basics of Chinese dance.
On campus at UCLA, the members frequently perform at cultural nights hosted by other Chinese student organizations. For “Lotus Steps,” special guests UCLA Wushu, Yukai Daiko and the Music of China Ensemble will all perform separately at the event
Since 2002, the club has also connected with the organization Families with Children from China, which allows club members to mentor young girls from China and share the “Lotus Steps” stage by incorporating a junior dance for the children.
“We work really closely with FCC, and we’re actually enriching the lives of these adoptees from China by getting a chance to work with them,” said Huang. “We have about five or six of the children from FCC joining us for ‘Lotus Steps,’ and a lot of them have danced with us for many years.”
Liang said she hopes the amount of work the club puts in leading up to the showcase, and the fact that “Lotus Steps” is a free event, will encourage people to attend.
“We don’t want money to be an issue,” said Liang. “And I think what makes this event so special is a lot of our dancers are beginners who have never danced before. At the end, in Royce, the dances look professionally done. I think that’s a huge achievement for so many of our dancers.”
Wong, who graduates this year after four years with CCDC, said she hopes students take a chance and attend, even if they are unfamiliar with Chinese culture.
“Watching people’s cultural show is a way to learn about their culture,” said Wong. “So when you meet someone from that culture in the future, you have a connection with them.”
