NTD Competition Brings Ancient Dance to the Modern Stage
- 14 years ago
In the second of NTD Television’s 2010 Competition Series, Chris Chappell takes us to a very special part of traditional Chinese culture. Let’s have a look.
Muscles, strained and taut, bend at impossible angles. NTD’s 2010 International Classical Chinese Dance Competition has begun.
Contestants from as far away as Australia, and as close as New York City, vie for a chance at the gold prize award of $10,000.
The path to this competition has been paved in years of hard work.
[Rachael Bastick (Yu Ning), Drifting Clouds Flowing Water]:
“I felt that everyone danced very well, I didn’t know who would win, but I felt everyone put in a lot of effort. This year everyone improved a lot.”
But despite the tough competition, these contestants aren’t letting anything hold them back.
And they certainly won’t let something as trivial as gravity hold them down.
Things are heating up on the second day of the competition. The judges scrutinize the smallest movements and gestures. They are the experts on Classical Chinese dance from Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Classical Chinese dance is distinct from ballet and modern dance. Dancers must pay attention not only to their physical movements, but connecting those movements with their emotions.
[Rachael Bastick (Yu Ning), Drifting Clouds Flowing Water]:
“I think when I’m doing classical Chinese dance, I feel very happy. It’s different to other dances, I learnt ballet when I was young, but ballet doesn’t allow to you be so expressive, and its inner meaning isn’t as deep as classical Chinese dance. Classical Chinese dance also has a lot of different movements, and also include a lot of techniques, like the tumbling technique. So I’m very interested in all of this, and really enjoy dancing.”
It’s the finals and the pressure is on. Only the very best have made it this far.
Tired from days of intense physical activity, now all that's left is to await the announcement of the winners.
This is Chris Chappell
NTD, New York
Muscles, strained and taut, bend at impossible angles. NTD’s 2010 International Classical Chinese Dance Competition has begun.
Contestants from as far away as Australia, and as close as New York City, vie for a chance at the gold prize award of $10,000.
The path to this competition has been paved in years of hard work.
[Rachael Bastick (Yu Ning), Drifting Clouds Flowing Water]:
“I felt that everyone danced very well, I didn’t know who would win, but I felt everyone put in a lot of effort. This year everyone improved a lot.”
But despite the tough competition, these contestants aren’t letting anything hold them back.
And they certainly won’t let something as trivial as gravity hold them down.
Things are heating up on the second day of the competition. The judges scrutinize the smallest movements and gestures. They are the experts on Classical Chinese dance from Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Classical Chinese dance is distinct from ballet and modern dance. Dancers must pay attention not only to their physical movements, but connecting those movements with their emotions.
[Rachael Bastick (Yu Ning), Drifting Clouds Flowing Water]:
“I think when I’m doing classical Chinese dance, I feel very happy. It’s different to other dances, I learnt ballet when I was young, but ballet doesn’t allow to you be so expressive, and its inner meaning isn’t as deep as classical Chinese dance. Classical Chinese dance also has a lot of different movements, and also include a lot of techniques, like the tumbling technique. So I’m very interested in all of this, and really enjoy dancing.”
It’s the finals and the pressure is on. Only the very best have made it this far.
Tired from days of intense physical activity, now all that's left is to await the announcement of the winners.
This is Chris Chappell
NTD, New York