ZIMENG WANG (10): 

I do Chinese classical dance, but before that I started with ballet at the age of three. It was my ballet teacher who recommended that I try Chinese dance, and I thought it was really fun since compared to ballet, Chinese dance as a style is a lot more freeing and you get to express yourself a lot more. I started dancing competitively in fourth grade, and now it’s been six years since I started.

Chinese classical dance is a very unique style since there is a lot of history related to it. It comes from various minority groups in China and they all have different music, costumes, and would dance in different settings too. 

Through dance I have definitely learned a lot more about the different groups in China and the historical context involved with it. Our dance teachers like to teach us the stories behind different dances we are executing.

Even apart from the dance itself, the props that we use are really unique as well. There are so many different props including fans, umbrellas, chopsticks, and handkerchiefs and the costumes are also considered a prop. A lot of the dresses we wear can flow in different ways to look different and there are a lot of visual effects involved in our dances.

I love when we go to competitions and I get to see how unique we really are. We have a different style of costumes and also different music. Judges are always really awed by how unique the dance itself is. I also think Chinese dance really fits my personality because I’m not extroverted enough to really put myself out there. Chinese dance is slightly more contained, so I think it fits a lot with my personality and that’s why I love it.