One minute on stage, ten years of hard work off stage - countdown to the Alberta Dance Festival

One minute on stage, ten years of hard work off stage - countdown to the Alberta Dance Festival September 14th, this very ordinary day, is about to become no longer ordinary in the Chinese community, because last...

September 14th, this very ordinary day, is about to become no longer ordinary in the Chinese community, because on this day, hundreds of young Arizona performers will show Chinese dance in front of their families, communities and American friends. Some of them only studied for a few months, while some persisted for nearly ten years. The youngest actor is only over three years old, and the oldest is over fifty. This dance festival treats "Chinese dance" as the most different language to dialogue with the audience.

As the performance approaches, the teachers and children of the New Oriental Art School are getting ready. Dance director Qiu Xiaorong said that there are a total of 20 programs in this dance festival, with more than 100 actors participating in the performances. Dances include ethnic dances of the Han, Mongolian, Korean, Yi and other Asian countries. After the 2013 Spring Festival Gala, they started preparing for this dance festival, and it was not an easy journey.

"One minute on stage, ten years off stage" This dance festival has a special basic skills report performance. The young actors will show the audience the basic skills and skills they usually practice in the form of dance: splits, lower waist, big jump and various flexibility and strength performances. From this show, the audience can see the hard work behind a beautiful dance. Teacher Qiu said that many young actors particularly like this show. Some of the young actors are not born with very good flexibility. When the teacher asks them to demonstrate the movement of their hind legs (moving their legs from behind to the top of their head), they always ask to complete it and say that they will definitely practice it well. Teacher Qiu said that she was very happy to see the children working so hard. She often practiced a skill hundreds or thousands of times until they successfully completed it. This is not only physical fitness training, but also personality training, allowing children to develop a sense of resilience, look directly at their own weaknesses, and work hard to improve. This is also one of the charms of dance. It always makes people feel conquered and at the same time expressive.

>Basic Skills Practice (1)

>Basic Skills Practice (2)

"Blooming Season" is a very expressive dance that describes the warmth of spring and the blooming of flowers. It is a Han dance improved from the traditional Chinese handkerchief dance. The flower accessories on the dancers made the stage beautiful and colorful. In an instant, the flowers on these skirts jumped on the hands of the dancers. Sometimes they opened unrestrainedly towards the sun, and sometimes they rotated three-dimensionally in front of the audience. The combination of plane and elevation vividly expressed the colorful spring. This group dance of twelve people is the finale of this dance festival. "Blooming Season" starts with basic movement exercises in February and March. After only a few practices, we encountered the joyful spring break, and most of the children went on trips. There were originally a dozen people dancing, but suddenly there were only five or six people left. After finally returning to school, the level of learning of the basic movements of each young actor became uneven. Teacher Qiu could only teach the students over and over again. We had just gathered the people together, and the formation had a rough shape. Then it was summer vacation again. After a summer vacation, whether the children can still remember those actions has become a major test. Originally, the young actors used handkerchiefs as props. After the real props were customized from China in early August, they found that they were much more difficult to use than handkerchiefs. The movements that were originally very good to practice, because of the addition of new props, many children are not used to it and have to increase the amount of practice. The new program "Blooming Season" is very popular with everyone. How will it shock the audience when it is officially performed?

Dance "Blooming Season"

At present, the young actors have entered the final stage of their movements and expressions. The costumes, props and lighting are all ready. The curtain of the Alberta Dance Festival is about to open. Bring your friends to enjoy this cultural feast with a Chinese flavor! We will see you at 4 pm on September 14th.

Performance time: September 14, 2014 (Sunday) 4:00 pm 9-14-2014 SUNDAY 4:00pm Venue: Chandler Center for the Arts Address: 250 N Arizona Ave, Chandler, AZ 85225