Dance club’s annual showcase excites
With a mixutre of diverse dance moves, stunning dress and melodious music, the Traditional Chinese Dance Club at USC presented its 17th annual showcase at Bovard Auditorium on March 6 — nearly 3 years since the group halted the in-person showcase due to the coronavirus pandemic.
TCD is a USC student dance group that intends to promote Chinese culture and dance styles while inspiring others. The theme of this year’s showcase “A Flutter in Time,” featured performances of various traditional Chinese dance styles, and a one-act dance adapted from Chinese folktale and romantic tragedy “Butterfly Lovers.”
In their opening speech, co-captains Aline Wu, a senior majoring in environmental science and health and the human sciences, and Sharon Zhang, a senior majoring in communication and comparative literature, expressed their happiness to present the show to the audience.
“We are so grateful that all of you were able to make it out tonight,” Wu said. “We are even more excited that we are able to perform in front of the live audience [at] Bovard again.”
TCD took the audience on an exquisite journey, exploring the different aspects of Chinese culture, and presenting dances and stories from ancient history and modern days.
“Song of Purity and Peace” depicted the palace ladies of the Tang dynasty. In this performance, the dancers dressed in beautiful Tang-era clothes and swayed with traditional Chinese music. In “Unfettered,” the dancers performed dances of the Han dynasty and wore Guangxiu, elegant dresses with wide sleeves to portray youngsters who are full of vigor and high spirits.
Aside from the elegant dances of ancient China, TCD also performed lively modern dances. “Grandma’s Happy Life” is a dynamic presentation of an older dance troupe, which may remind people of square dancing, a popular activity among Chinese older adults. The dancers dressed in warm, bright red costumes and performed a very humorous scene of grandmas having a conflict who eventually decide to reconcile and dance together.
TCD made a thoughtful selection of musical accompaniment for the performances using Chinese traditional music when performing the Han-era and Tang-era dances. The performance “Fish Among Blooming and Begonias” borrows the theme song of a Chinese animated film “Big Fish & Begonia,” connecting to the sea, nature and freedom. “The First Encounter” used the interlude of a popular Chinese TV show and love tragedy “Good Bye, My Princess” to tell lovers’ heart-wrenching feelings when remembering their first encounter.
Props considered important elements of Chinese dance, were also incorporated into TCD’s performances including different types of Chinese fans, square stools and a silk umbrella.
Sarah Kim, a junior majoring in law, history, culture, and East Asian Languages and Cultures, was “Dance of Southern Yunnan,” was her favorite.
“I just think that it would have taken a lot of work to do,” Kim said. “And I really liked the introduction where she hides her face with the umbrella because it makes it a little bit mysterious at the start.”
Retelling “Butterfly Lovers,” choreographed by Wu, Zhang, sophomore Kailyn Xu and senior Carolyn Song, served as the showcase’s climax. In somber lights, two lovers in the story, Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo, danced heartbroken by the fact that they could not be with each other. Accompanied by the “Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto,” the dancer’s lithe movements and sorrowful expressions attempted to emotionly imact the audience.
Graduate student Leya Li played Zhu Yingtai, while freshman Jenny Guo played Liang Shanbo. Both instilled great emotion into their performance, using every one of their dance moves to convey a feeling and deliver a message to the audience. They excellently portrayed the two lovers and their strong affections for each other. Additionally, “Palace Ladies” won warm acclaim from Kim for the performances costuming.
TCD’s excellent performance left Kim with a deep impression as well. Minjee Park, a junior majoring in American Studies and Ethnicities, said she liked the clean dance movements and the performer’s dress.
“It’s my first time seeing Chinese traditional dance, so I kind of didn’t really know that much about it,” Park said. “It was a really cool experience … The movements are so graceful and the costumes are so pretty, it was great.”
Jaden Stovall, junior majoring in creative writing and narrative studies, also appreciated the dance club’s performances.
“I think what I really appreciated though, was kind of the story blurbs that went with every single performance,” Stovall said. “I thought that was really neat.”