{"id":2025033,"date":"2023-09-07T18:27:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T22:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/millennia-old-skills-revived-onstage-at-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition\/"},"modified":"2023-09-07T18:32:48","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T22:32:48","slug":"millennia-old-skills-revived-onstage-at-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/millennia-old-skills-revived-onstage-at-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Ancient skills shine at NTD Classical Chinese Dance Competition."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmillennia-old-skills-revived-onstage-at-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2025033&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>From \u200bSept. 7 to Sept. 10, 140 dancers from North America, Europe, and Asia will compete in the <a href=\"https:\/\/dance.ntdtv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10th NTD<\/a> International Classical Chinese Dance Competition.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The competition, which began in\u2062 2007, has become an internationally noteworthy stage for classical Chinese <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/bright\/chinas-lost-culture-on-display-power-precision-and-a-noble-spirit-3982166\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dancers<\/a> \u2063to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/bright\/through-classical-chinese-dance-a-grander-vision-of-the-world-3940939\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">better<\/a> \u2064 themselves\u2014and a venue in which one might hope to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/bright\/reviving-chinas-lost-heritage-dance-competition-raises-the-bar-3982452\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">obtain<\/a> a rare, once-lost skill.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Its adherence to authentic, traditional Chinese culture in the art form it aims to judge is no small feat\u2014this culture that \u200bmore than 100 artists have \u200dcome together to revive is one that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sought to wipe through decades of \u200bviolent campaigns like the Cultural Revolution.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<ul class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<li class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/10th-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition-finals-5485979\">LIVE Sept. 10, 1 PM \u2063ET: 10th NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition Finals<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/6\/2023<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/10th-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition-finals-5485979\"><\/a>\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<li class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/10th-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition-awards-ceremony-5486097\">LIVE Sept. 10, 7 PM ET: 10th NTD International\u200b Classical Chinese Dance Competition Awards Ceremony<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/6\/2023<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/10th-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition-awards-ceremony-5486097\"><\/a>\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>At its root, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/nine-commentaries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the CCP seeks<\/a> to turn humankind away from\u2063 the heavens,\u2063 and they&#8217;ve \u200bdone so through the destruction of traditional culture. In less than 100 years, it was able to\u200b undo nearly all of the fruits of 5,000 years of civilization. But this competition, taking place this year in Purchase, New York, is evidence there will always be people who remember the cultures and history, and pass those lessons and values\u200d down to their\u200b children, their \u200cstudents throughout the ages.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The NTD dance competition is one in a <a href=\"https:\/\/competitions.ntdtv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of events the network hosts to support \u2064traditional culture.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This year, the \u200dmillennia-old dance skill of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/live-sept-10-1-pm-et-10th-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition-finals\/\" title=\"10th NTD Int'l Classical Chinese Dance Competition Finals LIVE on Sept. 10, 1 PM ET.\">shen dai shou<\/a>&#8221; will be \u200con full display, with some of the pioneers of its revival on the jury panel. Dancers have traveled far and wide to see it in action.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:3000px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Dancers take to \u200cthe\u2064 stage for the preliminary round of the NTD International Classical Chinese Dance \u2064Competition in Purchase, New York, on Sept. 7, 2023. (Larry Dye)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ms. Lin Yujen from Taiwan was one such dancer.\u200b She told\u2062 NTD that she had wanted\u200d to join\u200b the competition last time around, in 2021, but could not come to New York due to the pandemic. When she saw the competition was being held again, she was determined she would make \u200cit this \u200ctime.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;I\u2063 really wished to be able to learn the lost, ancient skill of &#8216;shen dai shou&#8217; and &#8216;kua dai \u200dtui,'&#8221; she said. \u2062&#8221;I wanted to witness with my own eyes how the\u2062 Shen Yun dancers use these methods.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>The Pinnacle \u2063of Dance Skills<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;Shen dai shou&#8221; translates literally into &#8220;body leading the hands.&#8221; Some call it a skill, technique, or method of dance, but the term has been \u2062around since antiquity, and its aim is to elongate the dancers&#8217; movements and amplify their expressive power. The pursuit of \u2062such a technique is not limited\u200d to classical Chinese dance\u2014the \u200dquest for longer lines and enhanced expressivity led to pointe shoes in ballet and dance \u200dcompanies to favor ever more athletic dancers.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s what many in the dance community\u2063 call &#8220;the pinnacle of skill.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In the classical Chinese dance community, &#8220;shen dai shou&#8221; is mentioned often as a principle, or an\u200c ideal, \u200dbut it had not been taught explicitly as a technique for thousands of years.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t until\u200c just a few years ago, when Shen Yun Performing Arts&#8217;s artistic director imparted the skill to company dancers\u2063 that\u2062 it reemerged in earnest.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Shen Yun company dancers have figured out how to use it, how to teach it, and now have organized a way \u2063to teach it systematically, embedding the skill into dance fundamentals\u2062 and creating its own style and pedagogical \u2062method. It&#8217;s no longer a &#8220;gift&#8221; or \u200b&#8221;sense&#8221; that one dancer may\u2064 have over another; the original pedagogy will ensure\u2064 the \u2062skill can \u200cbe passed down for generations in its pure form. Today, dancers at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts, a feeder school for New York-based Shen Yun, are trained in this method\u200c from the ground up.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The artistic director has further taught the technique &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/live-sept-9-130-pm-et-10th-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition-semifinals-part-2\/\" title=\"LIVE now: 10th NTD Int'l Classical Chinese Dance Competition Semifinals\u2014Part 2. Sept. 9, 1:30 PM ET.\">kua dai tui<\/a>,&#8221; or &#8220;hips leading the legs,&#8221; to company dancers. The \u2064entirely\u200c new technique,\u2062 combined with &#8220;shen dai shou&#8221; has transformed Shen Yun&#8217;s performances on stage\u2062 entirely. Audiences \u2062have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/shenyun\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">remarked<\/a> on the communicative power of the\u200d technique\u200c in recent years without \u200cquite being able to put their finger on the change, while the\u2062 dance world has taken note of\u200d the revival of the lost technique.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;It\u2063 helps in every aspect of dance,&#8221; William \u2062Li, a longtime Shen Yun \u2064principal dancer and\u200b judge in this \u2064year&#8217;s competition, told NTD. &#8220;Your movements become more beautiful because it\u2019s longer, and it almost\u2063 becomes easier to move. You feel \u2064more graceful, more agile, and you would have\u2063 a grand\u2064 air about\u2064 you when you\u2019re dancing. So the audience will really notice the difference, I think.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think it\u2019s something that is essential to classical Chinese dance,&#8221; he\u2062 said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:3000px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Dancers take to the stage for the preliminary round of the NTD\u200b International Classical Chinese Dance Competition in\u2064 Purchase, New York, on Sept. 7, 2023. (Larry\u2064 Dye)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>What It\u2062 Takes<\/h2>\n<p>Classical Chinese dance has four main components: form, bearing, tumbling technique, and dance technique.<\/p>\n<p>And \u2063while technique \u2062is paramount, \u2064experts \u2062and judges for the competition say that for classical Chinese dance, an understanding of traditional Chinese culture is essential.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is \u200crequired of a dance performer is that \u2063your body can\u200d speak through your art to express inner feelings \u2026 so \u2064that\u2019s a very \u200bhigh standard,&#8221; said Zhang Minghui, an expert in classical Chinese dance and now an instructor at Shen Yun\u200d who is also one of the judges of the NTD competition, told the television \u200cstation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo perform well in classical Chinese dance, one must love Chinese culture and strive to enhance their understanding of\u2064 it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In \u2062classical Chinese dance, the dancer\u200b is often\u200d portraying a character,\u2062 whether\u2062 that be a famous historical figure, an unnamed idea around a figure from a certain period, or a certain cultural idea. \u2064The art form requires the artist to\u2063 fully embody what they portray through every glance and gesture. Dance, after all, is a body language.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:3000px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Dancers take to the stage for the preliminary round\u200d of\u200d the NTD International Classical\u2062 Chinese Dance Competition in\u2063 Purchase, New\u200d York,\u200c on Sept. 7, 2023. (Larry Dye)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe are not \u2064gymnasts or acrobats.\u2062 Dancing is created to portray characters\u2014that is, only when a dancer is both highly cultivated and skillful can they achieve a balance of strength and gentleness in their performances,\u201d Ms. Zhang said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Li said \u2062that in the competition, dancers will be judged \u200con both a narrative-focused piece and technique-focused piece filled with difficult movements, adding that regardless of the piece, classical\u2064 Chinese dance is an art in which inner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/millennia-old-skills-revived-onstage-at-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition\/\" title=\"Ancient skills shine at NTD Classical Chinese Dance Competition.\">feeling drives\u2063 outer movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Each movement has to have a lot\u2062 of emotion behind it. That\u2019s something that\u2019s very crucial\u200c to classical Chinese dance\u2014inner expression,&#8221; he said. It&#8217;s called &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/retired-taiwan-army-lieutenant-general-admires-shen-yuns-positive-energy\/\" title=\"Retired Taiwan Army Lieutenant General Admires Shen Yun\u2019s Positive Energy\">shen yun<\/a>&#8221; \u2063in Chinese\u2014not \u200bto be\u200d confused with the &#8220;Shen Yun&#8221; in the name\u2062 of the performing arts company, which means &#8220;the beauty of divine beings \u200cdancing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Every single movement is carried by your\u200d emotions. And more than\u200d that, it\u2019s almost a \u200breflection of what kind of person you are. So what kind of morals you have in your daily life, how you think, your life experiences\u2014this is \u200d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Sept. 7 to Sept. 10, 140 dancers worldwide will compete in the 10th NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition. Since its inception in 2007, this prestigious event has provided a platform for classical Chinese dancers to improve their skills and potentially rediscover long-lost techniques.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2167,"featured_media":2025034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2025033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2025033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2025034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2025033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2025033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2025033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}