|
Dance Beijing is a performance company
of HeritageEast, representing some of the finest
talents in Chinese traditional performing arts. The Company has performed extensively in the New York
metropolitan region and other parts of the country as well. In addition to
performances, Dance Beijing offers arts-in-education programs for K-12,
workshops for school teachers, and master classes for dance professionals.
Dance Beijing’s mission is to introducing the traditional performing arts
of China to the public through performances, classes and
electronic media. Depending on the
occasion, Dance Beijing’s
performances typically last from 10 to 60 minutes, and involve 3 to 12 dancers. The performances
present dance, acrobatics and other art forms with artistry.
Combined with beautiful costumes and music, they
provide entertainment of cultural values to all age groups. Dance
Beijing has performed in cultural events, festivals, conventions and
fund-raising parties. The Company performs regularly at universities and
town libraries. Dance Beijing’s artists come from China where they
received rigorous training in some of the most prestigious schools. Some of the artists continue to expand their horizon by
attending schools in the U.S. such as Martha Graham Dance School, Nikolais and Louis Dance Academy, and Julliard.
Chinese classical dance
traces its origin to the celebrations in the emperor’s court in ancient
China. The dance is often based on fairy tales and poetry. It is
characterized by subtlety, elegance and balance of masculinity and
femininity. In contrast, Chinese folk dance originated in the villages.
The dance is often about the lives of the average people and tends to
reflect the custom and belief of the time. As the folk dance evolved
over the years, it has expanded to include the folk dances of various
ethnic minorities in China, such as Mongolians and Dai.
Chinese traditional
music is rooted in the rich soil of folk customs and feelings. It is
characterized by rich tonality and emotion, and very much connected to
social environment, language and poetry. The music, played with a
variety of instruments such as Er-hu and Pi-pa, is often performed with
dance and opera. Together they tell history and human dramas. |
|