thoughts on Chinese Dance
what is dance (supposed to be like)? it's as subjective a question as asking what is art (supposed to look like). there was a video of Chi Dance society performing a Mongolian dance. i guess to quite a few people the dance appears awkward and not all that aesthetically pleasing, judging from all the comments and laughter i heard. but that's not what chi dance is about. to me, at least, Chi dance is about grace, about expressing the mood of the song, the heartfelt emotions. it is also about celebrating the suppleness and pliability of the female body. i guess not many people think much of it. to them perhaps it's just a group of females in bright (or maybe even garish) costumes prancing around the stage, without much skills required. the misrepresentation is rather sad.
Chi dance is not easy. having been a Chi dancer for more than 6 years, i know all too well that there's so much training and conditioning behind all the easy movements on stage. the (nearly perfectly horizontal / vertical) leg splits, handstands against the wall, front flips, back flips, (perfectly-straight-legs and fast) cartwheels, back bend -- all these are part and parcel of routine training. sweat pouring, tearing muscle fibres screaming in pain as we force our legs against the wall / ground, just to make that leg-split a little straighter. not to mention painfully counting seconds that seem to pass so slowly, while we hold our pointed, screaming legs as high as we can in the air. or the frustration and despair when we forget dance steps or can't do them well. and in the end all this hardwork is showcased in a fraction of a second, or not at all, onstage.
sitting in the audience, still connected to HC chi dance society by memories of last yr, i did wish that a chi dance where movements showcasing the results of all the dancers' conditioning and hardwork could have been shown instead. so that we can all appreciate the beauty and complexity / difficulty of chi dance. well, perhaps the choreographers had wanted to experiment beyond the accepted conventions of what chi dance should be like. but perhaps it's trying too hard. it suffices to let Chi dance be aesthetically pleasing. and to let Chi dance be appreciated.
Chi dance is not easy. having been a Chi dancer for more than 6 years, i know all too well that there's so much training and conditioning behind all the easy movements on stage. the (nearly perfectly horizontal / vertical) leg splits, handstands against the wall, front flips, back flips, (perfectly-straight-legs and fast) cartwheels, back bend -- all these are part and parcel of routine training. sweat pouring, tearing muscle fibres screaming in pain as we force our legs against the wall / ground, just to make that leg-split a little straighter. not to mention painfully counting seconds that seem to pass so slowly, while we hold our pointed, screaming legs as high as we can in the air. or the frustration and despair when we forget dance steps or can't do them well. and in the end all this hardwork is showcased in a fraction of a second, or not at all, onstage.
sitting in the audience, still connected to HC chi dance society by memories of last yr, i did wish that a chi dance where movements showcasing the results of all the dancers' conditioning and hardwork could have been shown instead. so that we can all appreciate the beauty and complexity / difficulty of chi dance. well, perhaps the choreographers had wanted to experiment beyond the accepted conventions of what chi dance should be like. but perhaps it's trying too hard. it suffices to let Chi dance be aesthetically pleasing. and to let Chi dance be appreciated.