This past Friday, our class started off with a bang! We began the day with calligraphy of the characters for “good luck” and “forever.” The screen was pulled down over the nostalgically green chalkboard, and we all got up, excited to do our second session of Tai Ji.
After balancing our Qi and returning from lunch, we came back for the highlight of the whole day: Beijing-native and professional traditional Chinese dancer Cheryl Pan came to teach us to dance in the Chinese style! First, we learned there were three kinds of Chinese dance — classical, folk, and ethnic. She started off teaching us a few basic moves of Chinese folk fan dance. She broke down each move to the specific movements of hands, body, and legs. The whole class loved it even though the moves could be a bit challenging for some of us. Then we put together a whole piece, “Yellow River Dance.” Some of us danced with Chinese umbrellas, others with fans, or with Chinese waist dums. It was so much fun! Even the noise and mistakes we made…
— Lesley
