Background: My Chinese folk dance teacher requested that I write her a “letter of recommendation” of sorts to explain my experiences with the style of dance and how I believe others should share in the appreciation of our artform. This is one of my best pieces ever, I believe, and what’s amazing is that I wrote it all in 30 minutes on April 26th, 2008, as originally placed at the top of the letter itself.
To Whom It May Concern;
Good day. My name is Vivian Lee, and I am writing on behalf of the Love of China School of Chinese Dance, where I have been a student for nine years. Though I will have to say my farewells this autumn due to my matriculation at MIT, the art of Chinese folk dance will eternally remain very dear to my heart.
Since a very young age, I have felt a certain affinity to the performing arts. At the young age of five, I had already begun my studies in ballet and tap dance, later followed with singing, acting, and oration. I did not find my true niche, however, until I enrolled at Love of China, where I was introduced and taken in to a world that astonished me with its vibrance, passion, and beauty.
In our modern environment of America, it is all too easy for students to submerge themselves into focusing on bleeding-edge technology and stressing over schoolwork. In fact, I too have earnestly flung myself into my schooling – most of my days are spent doing laboratory research for science & engineering fairs, embarking on my journey to become a polyglot, and honing my programming skills. Despite all of my ambitious endeavors in the core subjects, however, I have constantly felt the need to express myself in ways that the strict math/science disciplines have not allowed me to. Though they are magnificent in their own right, nothing can compare with the overwhelming rush of inspiration I experience every time I wait in the wings for my next performance.
Chinese folk dance is one of many dance forms I have experienced, but it is by far my favourite and -in my opinion - the most resplendent. The routines that we learn span every tribe and subculture possible, from the catchy style of the Tambourine Dance inspired by a northwestern minority group… to the romantic anecdote of the Love Story of the Carriage Driver… to the downbeat yet elegant grace of the Feather Fan Dance… to the new-age style of Bamboo Rain, one of our most recent dances focusing on fluid motion as we wield a large umbrella, and many more. While each person’s technique aims to remain uniform, each story-like routine also requires a great depth of personal understanding. My favourite aspect of Chinese dance is not only the ability to reproduce the amazing culture that has been passed down to us through the years, but also the fact that I am able to pour my own emotions into every step or gesture I make. Through dance, I can express the intense feelings that words cannot; in order to fully express the sentiments of the piece, I am required to immerse myself in the beauty of my own culture to come up my own interpretation… and in that truly lies the power of dance as an art form: to induce inner reflection and in turn convert it to outer expression. As a dancer, I thus inherently become an entertainer, philosopher, teacher, storyteller, and artist all at once.
Chinese folk dance has allowed me to not only grow as a person by instilling and reinforcing teamwork and responsibility, but it has truly promoted my awareness of cultural variety. More than anything, it has opened up doors to a gorgeous art form that is influenced by thousands of years of history… and continues to be molded by the young children of our generation that take these powerful roots and shape them into knowledge and enrichment for the future.
Thank you for your time, and may you as well be blessed with the brilliance that is cultural dance.
Sincerely,
Vivian Lee