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| East Dream Chinese Dance Group Performing "Lotus Blossoms in the Moonlight" -photo provided by Yaling Fan |
That is exactly what hundreds of people gathered to do on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the LaSells Stewart Center for the Dance of Spring Concert. Organized by the East Dream Chinese Dance Group, this concert is an annual tradition inspired by a desire to preserve and share ancient Chinese traditions.
When asked about her vision behind the concert, co-founder of the group Yaling Fan said, "Every year, Dance of Spring is our big opportunity to share a slice of Chinese culture with the greater Corvallis community." East Dream's mission statement, which can be found on their website, expresses a desire to "enrich diversity within our local community," "share Chinese culture through music and dance," and to "disseminate our heritage within the rest of our community."
The group formed when a number of Chinese women who were all sending their children to the same Chinese school realized that among all of the similar life experiences that they had in common, they all shared a love for Chinese dance. One of the group's goals, Fan said, is "to showcase different ethnic cultures every year to demonstrate the diversity that many people don't associate with China."
To meet this goal, the group encompassed a wide variety of different song and dance styles.
When asked about her vision behind the concert, co-founder of the group Yaling Fan said, "Every year, Dance of Spring is our big opportunity to share a slice of Chinese culture with the greater Corvallis community." East Dream's mission statement, which can be found on their website, expresses a desire to "enrich diversity within our local community," "share Chinese culture through music and dance," and to "disseminate our heritage within the rest of our community."
The group formed when a number of Chinese women who were all sending their children to the same Chinese school realized that among all of the similar life experiences that they had in common, they all shared a love for Chinese dance. One of the group's goals, Fan said, is "to showcase different ethnic cultures every year to demonstrate the diversity that many people don't associate with China."
To meet this goal, the group encompassed a wide variety of different song and dance styles.
To celebrate the year of the rooster, East Dream dressed up as roosters and opened the show with "Happy Year of the Rooster," a lighthearted and symbolic dance, backed by an almost comical chinese pop song.
For "Lotus Blossoms in the Moonlight," East Dream dancers embodied the flowers themselves through tranquil, flowing movements and lotus-like costumes. The performance "Sichuan Opera Face" introduced a unique Chinese tradition in which the performer has mastered the art of "changing faces." Sporting a colorful costume and mask, at intervals throughout the performance he magically and almost instantaneously makes his mask change appearance.
To demonstrate even further diversity, East Dream incorporated Korean culture into the concert by dancing to one of Korea's most famous traditional fold songs, "Arirang," and dressing in traditional Korean clothing. East Dream also incorporated a number of guest performers into the concert including, the Regional School of Ballet, the Downtown Dance Children's Repertory Group, and the University of Oregon Wushu Team.
For "Lotus Blossoms in the Moonlight," East Dream dancers embodied the flowers themselves through tranquil, flowing movements and lotus-like costumes. The performance "Sichuan Opera Face" introduced a unique Chinese tradition in which the performer has mastered the art of "changing faces." Sporting a colorful costume and mask, at intervals throughout the performance he magically and almost instantaneously makes his mask change appearance.
To demonstrate even further diversity, East Dream incorporated Korean culture into the concert by dancing to one of Korea's most famous traditional fold songs, "Arirang," and dressing in traditional Korean clothing. East Dream also incorporated a number of guest performers into the concert including, the Regional School of Ballet, the Downtown Dance Children's Repertory Group, and the University of Oregon Wushu Team.
Tracie Emry, a mother of one of the dancers and a member of the audience, said that her favorite performance was "Wu Shu," performed by the University of Oregon Wushu Team. Lorelei Hayden, daughter of an OSU employee, and Elisabeth Arvey, previous Dance of Spring performer, expressed particular interest in the "Sichuan Opera Face" performance.
East Dream meets every Saturday to practice and welcomes anyone in the community to join in their celebration of Chinese culture and dance with them. If you are interested in supporting the group without becoming directly involved, donations are appreciated. To learn more, visit East Dream's website.
At a Glance:
- On Saturday, Jan. 28, the East Dream Chinese Dance Group held their annual Dance of Spring concert at the LaSells Stewart Center at Oregon State University.
- "Every year, Dance of Spring is our big opportunity to share a slice of Chinese culture with the greater Corvallis community." ~Yaling Fan
- Visit the East Dream Dance Group's website
- Contact the dance group at: eastdreamoregon@gmail.com.
- Watch a video of one of the group's past performances.
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