Abstract
The role of Chinese classical dance as a reflection of Chinese culture inspires the study of its relationship to an emerging fourth category of Chinese dance: Chinese modern dance. It was not until after the Cultural Revolution (1966-73), which purged supposed cultural contamination, that artists could express more freely their creative mediums. The essence of modern Chinese dance—an art that deals with personal exploration and unlimited self-expression—has grasped the heart and soul of contemporary Chinese dance artists, and has provided them with a fresh source for movement expression. While some Chinese modern dance choreography resists traditional themes, others prefer to rediscover the aesthetics of the classical culture and reinvent them in a contemporary way. Three specific relationships of the classical culture and reinvent them in a contemporary way. Three specific relationships of Chinese traditional and contemporary dance are addressed here. First, that classical technique incorporated into modern dance vocabulary symbolically represents China’s national identity. Second, the connection of mind and body to nature traces back to the ancient concept of energy and equilibrium within movement form known as T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Finally, an aesthetically powerful relationship exists between calligraphy, a two-dimensional form, and dance, a three-dimensional form.