WASHINGTON—Art critics and audiences from New York City to Taipei to Frankfurt have spoken of the sublime beauty and glorious appearance of the Divine Performing Arts (DPA): The Spectacular 2009. But behind the gorgeous costumes and seemingly effortless leaps and refined movements that gives so much pleasure to the eye, are the techniques used to create the scenes that must be practiced to perfection. And in addition to technique is also the raw physical side of it, the mortal bodies of the dancers that can conjure up divine beings. Perhaps there is no better way to understand the physicality and technique involved than to observe the choreographer and principal dancer for DPA Michelle Ren conduct a master class on Chinese Classical Dance.
Ms. Ren was in town to perform for five nights and two afternoons at the prestigious Kennedy Center Opera House, Feb. 10-15. The company is touring in nearly 80 cities worldwide. Seeing an opportunity to enrich their students’ learning, Strathmore Dance School invited Ms. Ren, to conduct the class on Monday night, which was their first exposure to Chinese Classical Dance.
“I was unaware of the level of athleticism and training that I didn’t know existed,” said Lorraine Spiegler, director of the Studio Education and the Conservatory, which includes the Studio Center at Strathmore, when asked about her expectations for the class.
