Jasmine Performs at Briarwood Elementary and Pembroke Hill Cultural Nights

Jasmine recently performed at Briarwood Elementary for their cultural night. Below is a short review written by Cindy Jiang!

"On March 26th, Jasmine dancers Kris Zheng, Tina Zheng, Alice Chen, Daphne Valenta, Katie Chen, and Cindy Jiang performed at the Briarwood Elementary School Cultural Night. This festival immersed students in cultural exploration and Jasmine introduced them to Chinese dance!

Jiu Er by Daphne and Alice

The performance opened with 九儿 (Jiu Er), by Daphne and Alice. This graceful traditional dance conveyed the deep sorrow of parting from loved ones. The dancers used a flowing fan, a prop widely utilized in Chinese dance.

Mist and Rain Over the Magpie Bridge by Tina and Kris

The next dance was 烟雨鹊桥 (Yan Yu Que Qiao), or “Mist and Rain Over the Magpie Bridge.” Performed by Tina and Kris, this dance took the audience into a poetic world filled with love and longing as it retold the legend of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Ling by Katie and Cindy

The show concluded with dancers Katie and Cindy performing 灵 (Ling). “The Spirit of the Peacock” showcases the tradition of the Dai ethnic group, who celebrated the peacock as a symbol of good omen and peace. The performance was very successful, offering Jasmine dancers a meaningful opportunity to showcase the beauty of Chinese culture and dance!"

Along with this Elementary school performance, Jasmine also was invited to perform at a Global Cultural event hosted by Pembroke Hill on April 11th. This performance was very representative of Chinese culture, involving brightly blue colored fans. Fans are an important part of Chinese dance, using vivid motions to capture the essence of flowing water.

Mist and Rain Over the Magpie Bridge by Kris and Tina

One dance was performed, "Mist and Rain Over the Magpie Bridge", by Kris and Tina. Although there was not a physical stage, the performance was met with overwhelming support from the audience. The performance captivated the viewers from the moment the music started playing. Quick beat changes were met with unique movements that proved for a very interactive dance.

Mist and Rain Over the Magpie Bridge by Kris and Tina

Chinese culture was strongly represented by this performance, and Kris and Tina did a wonderful job conveying the motif of young girls dancing by a bridge through misty weather. This beautiful dance was just one of many; the event also had many other cultural dances from countries such as India, Lebanon, and Thailand.

The past few weekends have been a major success for Jasmine as these performances have captivated and inspired younger kids as well as adults. Our mission to spread Chinese culture and build friendships through community service has only been strengthened by these performances, and we hope to see more in the future!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Review of Briarwood Elementary performance by Cindy Jiang

Photography by Rose Wang and Mei He