Dancers will put Chinese history, culture in motion

China's vast geography, history and cultural diversity are the inspiration for the repertoire of Dance China NY, a company that will give a free performance at 7:30 tonight at the Everett Performing Arts Center.

Formerly called the Chinese Folk Dance Company, the costumed troupe of six dancers brings together music, opera and acrobatics.

China has had many classes of people throughout its history, so there are fan dances based on court rituals, peasant dances, even a warrior piece using swords and based on China's military history.

"There were emperors and peasants, so there are dances that reflect those kinds of influences," said Helen Wu, the company's executive director.

"The Monkey King" is a classic dance in the Peking Opera tradition. There is no singing, but the hand and foot gestures tell stories of the monkey king, who embodies the spirit of rebellion. He dominates with wit, tumbling, sticks and swords.

"This is the best-known figure in stories — a monkey who has supernatural power. He's playful and colorful and has acrobatic skills," Wu said.

The next piece, "Classical Fan Dance," is based on Chinese imperial history.

"Sword Dance" is an excerpt from a longer work that uses swords with long tassels wrapped around people's wrists — a technique used in long-ago combat to keep the swords at hand.

"Morning Song" and "Peacock Dance" are signature pieces from two of the many ethnic minorities in China. The former tells of a young girl and her morning routine; the latter celebrates peacocks in stylized gestures.

"Lion Dance" is a fairly traditional piece, said Wu. In China, as in many cultures, the lion is a symbol of strength and pride, and this is a larger-than-life, mythologized lion figure, danced by two under a costume, a staple of Chinese celebrations worldwide.

"When the Leaves Turn" is a fan dance that incorporates a peasant tradition but brings Chinese dance into a more contemporary setting.

"Our organization stresses the heritage of our culture, but Chinese dance is not just a historical art — it's still a dynamic art," said Wu. "It's still an evolving process, but we don't want to sacrifice the original core."

The show is to conclude with "Red Ribbon Dance," with all six dancers using silk ribbons to draw patterns in the air.

"Red is a celebratory color in China, so it's a nice way to conclude a performance," Wu said.

The accompanying music is performed on the yangqin (hammered dulcimer), sheng (reeded mouth organ) and erhu (fiddle), as well as Western instruments. With about 500 shows a year, the company has drawn many accolades. One reviewer said "the performers move like purified precious metals."

The performers are all professionals from institutes and academies in China, where students begin their training around age 5.

"Rather than going to public school, they start with a dance school from the very beginning," Wu said. "It's a very elite group that are accepted."

They and others make up a resident company at the New York Chinese Cultural Center, a school and center for Chinese arts founded in 1973 in New York's Chinatown.

The company has three dance studios and one art studio on the second floor of a building in Manhattan where members have classes and rehearsals. They perform around New York and tour extensively.

Artistic Director Qi Jiang, a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy, is also deeply immersed in Western forms of dance, having danced in the Joffrey Ballet and with the Twyla Tharp company. He now teaches and choreographs around the world.

Wu noted that in the 2000 census, Asians represented 10 percent of the population of New York City. Nearly half of them were of Chinese origin.

"There are so many Asians not born in China, generations of Asians in America, and there are a lot of Chinese children adopted by non-Chinese families," Wu said. "And a lot of the parents who adopted Chinese children are sensitive to the fact they're different from their children, and they don't want them to lose the connection of where they came from.

"Our goal is that a new generation have a connection. We're in a multiethnic society, and one way to make people not be afraid is cultural programs like dance and music. They are independent of language or politics that make people sensitive and hesitant.

"Movement and dance and color are international and easy to access."

Diane Wright: 425-745-7815 or dwright@seattletimes.com