The Chinese Culture and
Performing Arts Show took place at the Strand Theatre, November
20,
2010 at 4pm.
The show was produced by Chu Ling and John Dilazzaro and hosted by Mayor
Menino's Special Event Office.
Click images to enlarge
The
Chu Ling Dance Academy provided six of the sixteen performances with
very young dancers 5-7 and 7-11 years, teenage dancers and adult dance
groups.
The remaining ten performances were piano and voice solos,
martial arts, drum
and dulcimer groups and local dance groups - all of them from the
greater Chinese community of Boston.
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Chu Ling* started out in China as a
choreographer. After coming to the United Stated, she founded the
Chu Ling Academy in Boston and serves as its director and one of its
instructors. She has
also taught and performed at many
other institutuions in the greater Boston area, including Wellesley
College, Boston University and Harvard University.
Founded in 1998, the Chu Ling Dance Academy moved into a
permanent Boston studio in the fall of 2001.
- Chu Ling teaches many of
the classes.
- Other faculty include professional Chinese and
American
dancers and instructors.
The Academy specializes in traditional
Chinese dance including folk, classical and minority dances. The
curriculum also includes training in ballet technique.
Students
are mostly from Chinese families or are adopted Chinese children.
The
Academy offers classes for all age levels, preschool through
adult.
Alll nationalities are welcome.
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Academy's primary goals
The Chu Ling Academy is focused on Asian children here in the Boston
area and through them on an outreach to the American public. A
deepening of cross-cultural understanding is a high priority with Chu
Ling. Chinese Dance, done well, provides an insight into cultures
so
vastly different from the American norm. The art of dance is
multi-purposed in its goal of teaching and reaching out.
- Helping Asian children gain an appreciation for
traditional Chinese art and culture
- Exposing the American public to Chinese culture
through dance and forging closer cross-cultural ties
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Traditional Chinese dance is
predominantly divided into two groups: Classical Dance and Folk Dance.
Over 2000 years
ago, classical dance was often performed for the Emperor's enjoyment
and
to display the skill of the artists.
Chinese classical dance is
- Founded on performances in the Imperial
Palace and in the Chinese opera and
- From the military arts - wushu, tai chi and kung fu
Chinese folk dances originate from various villages in China's many
provinces. These square dances are commonly performed by farmers
in
times of celebration including New Years, during the Harvest and the
Moon Festival.
A total of 56 different ethnicities call China their
home and each of these groups has its own style of folk dance.
Each
style is unique, characterized by its own costumes and dance movements,
and influenced by each ethnicity's language, lifestyle and culture.
**Please note: Credit to the Chu Ling website
for much of the information on this page.
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