Tales from China

One could well be in a state of hypnosis as Chinese dancers swayed to music and enthralled the audience at Connections 2019, held at the Capital's Sri Ram Centre. Beijing Dance Academy, one of the premier dance institutes of the world, performed for the first time in India. It was a brain child of acclaimed choreographer and dancer Rukmini Chatterjee who has been instrumental in bringing these performances to Delhi. In fact, some of these pieces have been created by choreographer of Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.

The powerful and breathtaking performances have been enacted with the help of Chinese martial arts, acrobatics, ancient poetry and drama.

Every piece tells a story about the legends and the history.

Female pas de trois or Slender waist of Chu girls talks about the legend of pre-Qin period when King Ling of Chu state appreciated girls with slender waist. Refering to the figure of winged immortal in the border of Hunan and Guangxi province, the story displays unrestrained charm and beauty of sorceresses.

This is followed by a dance of terracotta warriors of Qin dynasty using Chinese classical.

Pas de deux or Romance under the umbrella just took the breath away with its aesthetics. An abstract piece taken from Chinese classical dance drama Fen Mo is an original production of Beijing Dance Academy to celebrate its 55th anniversary. The choreography uses umbrella as a medium to convey love.  The climbing dance movements bring alive the concept of falling in love, while sharing an umbrella.

The rhythm all through has been maintained with fluid and enticing performances, followed by choreography based on martial art.

Male solo, Ode to the faithful love of swan goose followed by female solo Flying Apsaras simply mermerised the audience. The use of flowing colourful ribbons to imitate the fairies brought in a dream-like illusionary effect and artistic aesthetics to the overall performace. It was an evening to cherish.