“China Patterns” Coming to Marshall County

Colorful myths, historical drama, and timeless beauty will take the stage when Dance China New York presents “China Patterns” Thursday, October 4, at 7 p.m. in the Valley Heights High School gymnasium.

The hour-long performance is free and sponsored by the Marshall County Arts Cooperative.

“China Patterns” will show the vibrant, varied, and rich cultural history of Chinese performing arts. Performed by six professional artists, the program will give the audience a taste of authentic Chinese culture with colorful, costumed folk dances and performances. Signature performances include the swirling Red Ribbon Dance, renowned Chinese opera acts, and a demonstration on the Erhu, a traditional Chinese musical instrument.

The performers are members of Dance China New York, the resident touring company at the New York Chinese Cultural Center. The company was founded in 1973 in New York City’s Chinatown. The dancers are internationally-renowned artists from mainland China, Taiwan, and the United States. The dancers are Wanru Lin, Yang Wang, Yang Wang, Bin Zhai, Grant Zhuang, and Zuexin Li.

The company performs traditional and contemporary folk and classical dances that weave a vision of China’s ancient indigenous folk cultures. The dances evoke the haunting beauty and melancholy of imperial courtesans, recreate the rousing carnival rhythms of a harvest festival, and conjure up the dramatic beating of drums and clashing of swords on a distant battlefield.

The company has toured to hundreds of cities across twenty-three states, bringing the movements and rhythms of China to communities large and small. Each year they perform at over 500 events and reach an audience of over 150,000 people.

In addition to their two public performances, the company will perform in all four school districts in Marshall County. They will be in Frankfort and Marysville Wednesday, October 3, and Axtell and Valley Heights Thursday, October 4.

The school performances will be performed in full, traditional Chinese costumes. The programs will introduce students to Chinese culture through language lessons, historical background, on-stage demonstrations, and audience interaction. The diversity of dance selections, authentic costumes, music, props, and narration will illustrate and explain traits, customs, and patterns of Chinese life.

For more information people may visit the arts cooperative’s website at marshallcountyarts.org.