Lotus Flower Art Troupe brings traditional dance to the contemporary stage
By Fan Lin
The Epoch Times
Dec 20, 2005
Just like a group of ethereal fairies, the young girls of the Lotus Flower Art Troupe transform into Han Dynasty maidens with their elegant sleeves waving in the gentle breeze, and then may change into flower fairies in the blink of an eye, gently dancing in a dream-like fairyland.
The Lotus Flower Art Troupe, which specializes in traditional Chinese dance, has been active in the Toronto area. Madame Zhang Tiejun, who leads the group, is the only Chinese professor in the Royal Canadian Ballet Institute and is an expert in Chinese traditional folkloric dance. Madame Zhang says that 5000 years of Chinese history have left brilliant literature and arts. Traditional Chinese dance, poetry and paintings not only express "physical likeness," they are particular about conveying "the likeness in spirit."
"Ancient women were gentle, soft and elegant," she explained. "They had high aspirations and cherished their reputations. They had charming manners and humble dispositions. Traditional Chinese dances emphasize the inner meaning, or the spirit, of the dances."
Audiences will have opportunity to enjoy "Plum Blossom" and several other dances performed by the Lotus Flower Art Troupe in the upcoming 2006 NTDTV Chinese New Year Global Galas. Madame Zhang explained that "Plum Blossom" describes how the noble plum blossom heralds the arrival a bright and beautiful spring. In Chinese culture, the plum blossom has been highly praised since ancient times. Poems about the plum blossom account for most of the poems that sing the praises of flowers.
Lu You, a poet in the Song Dynasty cherished the plum blossom for his whole life and used the plum blossom as an analogy to himself in one of his poems: "The plum blossom stands more upright in the heavy snow and howling winds, it has the loftiest and steadfast character among the flowers."
The "Flower Fairies" is a classical dance performed by the troupe. Its melodious music seems to come from the heavens. Madame Zhang explained that the dance depicts the fairies descending from heaven and coming to the human world. They are suffering humiliation and enduring hardships in order to bring happiness and truth to the human world. The dancers try to show the purity, kindness, beauty and gentleness of women. It requires many basic skills of folk dance and the dancers have to be very serene when dancing. What is unique is that the dancers sit with their legs crossed and use their arms and upper body to express tranquility, dignity and gentility.
The Lotus Flower Art Troupe will perform in about a dozen major cities in North America from Jan. 7 to Feb. 18, 2006.