New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) first brought Chinese classical dance to New York enthusiastic audiences earlier this year. At a press conference Tuesday, the New York-based network announced it is hosting the first International Classical Chinese Dance Competition at the Skirball Center, Washington Square South, July 6-8, 2007.
Ms. Yung Yung Tsui, dancer, choreographer, alumna of Martha Graham's dance company and now with NTDTV's Spectacular, said that "after the success of NTDTV's Chinese New Year Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, we were very motivated to invite all those interested in classical Chinese dance to join us in showcasing real classical Chinese dance to the entire world."
"The Chinese New Year Spectacular performed in more than 35 cities around the world and we continued to receive invitations until May this year. So we can't refer to it as New Year Spectacular anymore," said Tim Sun, one the event's organizers.
"We began to promote the Classical Chinese Dance Competition three months ago and received 100 participants from all over the world including mainland China, Taiwan, Australia, Europe and the U.S."
Ms. Tsui said that to understand classical Chinese dance is to understand Chinese culture, language and customs. China holds 50 ethnic groups and a history of twenty dynasties each having its own culture, customs and even body language. Classical Chinese dance dates back to dances of the royal court and to opera, where the nation's character was expressed through dance. The dances developed even further incorporating elements from folk tales, exploits of historic figures, myths and legends. They expressed society's respect for morality, compassion, loyalty, wisdom and trustworthiness.
Dancers must go through strict physical training, according to Ms. Tsui. They must thoroughly understand certain body techniques and practice so that every action, movement and look follows a preset rule of Chinese dance. A single dance movement from one part of the body should lead to the movement of the entire body while the eyes, hands or feet should follow the movement of the body. The dancer should also have a good mental state so that their movements are led by their spirit. Not only must a dancer master the techniques, but they must improve their moral character to represent what is imparted by the Divine.
For centuries classical Chinese dance was passed down mostly as a folk art among the common people. However, formal instruction started after 1954 when dedicated artists believed they had a responsibility to document the Chinese dance. Artists learned from folk operas, Chinese martial arts and ballet training to form this unique system of classical Chinese dance.
One cannot compare ballet to classical Chinese dance. They are both expressions of myths and legends from their own cultures and both express body movements and hand gestures. They both express beauty in the human form within their own culture. For example, the West refers to Apollo while the Chinese refer to the Yellow Emperor.
Emphasis on the inner spirit, a rich technical vocabulary and a broad range of versatility characterizes Chinese classical dance. The emphasis is not only on the surface form but also on the spirit of the subject, its allure and its inner meanings. This is the reason why Chinese culture is considered to be semi-divine. Two dancers with the same movements will come across totally different because of their own inner spirit. While the techniques come from the folk opera, martial art and ballet and, because of the diverse ethnicity, Chinese dance is able to portray characters of any nationality.
Ms. Tsui said that " there is no end, no limit in classical Chinese dance. The competition is simply to showcase the talent in a live broadcast and educate the world about classical Chinese dance.
Dr. Samuel Zhou, NTDTV vice president, said the network plans to broadcast the entire competition and then have a special feature about the dancers. Unfortunately, more dancers would have had an opportunity to participate, he said, had it not been for interference from the Chinese government.
"We do not understand," Dr. Zhao said. "This is not a Tienanmen Square demonstration. It is about Chinese dance." He said even the Chinese government's security office got involved.
"They have slandered and tried to denigrate our activities, but each time this happens we become stronger. They threatened and intimidated the dancers, the dance schools and companies worldwide, especially in the mainland. As a result, some of those in the mainland could not join us. Those threats did not affect others because they really want to show the world real classical Chinese dance."
Dr. Zhou said it's ironic that ballet is more known in China than classical Chinese dance, due in large part to the Cultural Revolution which destroyed culture, art and literature in China.
The competition allows dancers to use any classical music as long as it fits the format. The panel of judges includes prominent choreographers, dancers and teachers of Chinese dance.
Ms. Tsui suggests that everyone see it for themselves. "Empty your mind and absorb. It is an unspoken language so you can understand the entire culture, language and message in the dance."
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