Stephen Tao originally wanted to perform a piece called “Heart of a Warrior” for an upcoming dance competition. He wanted to play a martial-type character, drastically different from his own more reserved personality, in order to expand his repertoire.
But it was, perhaps, too much of a stretch. His peers and teacher told him the piece didn’t suit him, and suggested several alternatives. He settled on “a compromise.”
Stephen is a finalist in the 10th NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition, where he performed “Drinking Under the Moonlight.” He portrays Li Bai, one of the most famous poets in China’s 5,000 years of history.
“I feel like he’s trying to make a decision whether to serve the emperor’s court, or to go and cultivate spiritual practice,” he said. He is torn between the martial, worldly side of him, and the spiritual side seeking solitude. The mix, Stephen explained, was a compromise between the side that suited his own personality, and the side he wanted to explore.
“Sometimes you pick something to fit you, and sometimes you pick something else that doesn’t match you, to improve that part of you,” he said.
Like many other contestants, Stephen took part in the NTD competition not to compete, but to challenge himself and learn from other talented dancers. As a bonus, he said, it made for a productive summer where he spent almost every day practicing.
A Pure Art
Stephen said he had admired the art form of classical Chinese dance from a young age, as his parents took him to see Shen Yun Performing Arts every year. He joined a dance class at summer camp once, and kept at it ever since.
The competition is one in a series of events the NTD network hosts in order to promote traditional culture, and the dance competition’s mission is to promote pure beauty and authenticity.
As a student of Northern Academy, Stephen said the authenticity of classical Chinese dance is very important to him as an artist. He dances to present traditional culture to audiences, and that means, “for my part, I try to purify myself” and not get in the way of the authentic culture and art.
“I try to keep a clear mind, and good, high moral standards. And when a person is clean and pure, what they dance would also be clean and pure, so they would be spreading a pure message to the audience,” he said.
