NEW YORK—One Round Down, Two To Go.
Forty-one dancers leapt, spun, and twirled their way into the semifinals of the second annual International Chinese Classical Dance Competition in New York City. The preliminaries were held on Friday, Aug. 22 at the Town Hall Foundation.
View a list of the semifinalists here .
The dance competition, hosted by international television station New Tang Dynasty Television, drew dancers from as far away as Australia and Japan. The event aims to revive and promote traditional Chinese dance that became lost in recent Chinese history.
“Society outside of China can’t see much of Chinese classical dance,” said Yijing Zhan of the junior female division of contestants. “In today’s society, there [is] so little Chinese classical dance that shows pure compassion and pure beauty. This competition is a great opportunity for the audience to see pure Chinese classical dance.”
A panel of seven judges consisting of troupe leaders, instructors, and choreographers judged each contestant based on four criteria.
The first criterion is that the performances should be true to classical Chinese dance. “We hope not to see styles from traditional opera, ballet, modern dance or street dance,” said judge Yi Cao.
Judges say that the competition, now in its second year, has helped people to understand what true Chinese classical dance is.
Martial arts and opera-style dance were infused into some dances last year, but this year’s pieces have adhered closer to the principles of Chinese classical dance. “There were many opera-style dances last year and few this year,” said judge Yungchia Chen.
The second criterion is physical bearing, an essential component of Chinese classical dance. One’s bearing should express the inner spirit of a subject or character. “Because bearing is the artistic soul of classical Chinese dance, it becomes an important judging criterion,” said Cao. “Dance should convey spirit, character, inner meaning, and even setting.”
Judges assess the third criterion—technique and physical form—differently between the junior and adult divisions. For example, the number of spins a contestant does indicates his or her technique level, according to Cao.
The last criterion is how well the contestant conveys their inner feelings through movement. “Some performances leave you moved by its liveliness and vitality,” Cao said. “This aspect is the most important in the individual choice set portion of the competition.”
Judge Michelle Ren said this year’s contestants were more expressive than last year’s group.
“Overall, one big difference from last time is that the contestants are putting more emphasis on conveying the inner meaning and manifesting physical bearing and form, rather than simply demonstrating the techniques,” she said. But technique has not fallen by the wayside, either. “This year, compared to last year, the range of the dance techniques and moves displayed has grown, and so have the topics that are portrayed in the dances.”
