San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival

The final weekend of the SF Ethnic Dance Festival's 30th Anniversary season is over! I danced in the inaugural 4th weekend performance, 3rd in a lineup of 9 offerings of diverse dance styles. My fellow dancers and I have performed this piece before, but never with such great lighting, such an expansive stage (it meant dousing our shoes in kool-aid before showtime, as we slipped all over the place during rehearsals), and such an excited audience - Thanks for everyone's support! It was a long 3 or so days of practically living in the beautiful but drafty Palace of Fine Arts theater, but I had the chance to meet many amazing dancers, musicians, and tech folks. I'll have to write more about it soon, but right now I admit I'm exhausted.

The photo is the work of RJ Muna, and it belongs to World Arts West. Jenny, Christina, and I went up early in the morning to the Mission for the photo shoot in February after we'd been chosen for the festival. It was cold and rainy, and we were all sick. Somehow it turned out pretty well!

A TV Filming and Another Mind Expanded

In March there was a flurry of performances as well, including a special event at a museum. A crew from the local ABC television station even came to shoot my dress rehearsal of a piece I was preparing for performance the same month. A short clip of it was used for a program called "Profiles of Excellence" which was exciting. It showed me executing a series of turns, my big red skirt flying. When I saw the spot the first day it aired I thought my movements looked a little too tight, but apparently the producers liked it well enough. After my run-through the day of shooting, the ABC folks were completely surprised that my Yi folk dance was Chinese at all. "Wow, I never would have thought that these kinds of movements were in Chinese dance," one of them said. I'm always thrilled when I get someone to say that! Chinese dance is so many things; I learn something new at every turn and I love it.

Happy Belated New Year!

Hello! I've been terribly remiss in updating this blog, but the hiatus doesn't mean I haven't been dancing! Actually, I've been quite busy. In February, I helped the San Francisco Symphony welcome the Year of the Rat by dancing for patrons in the post-performance celebration. I also danced for KCNS' Chinese New Year Celebration TV Special, and performed in various other community events. New Year's always brings such an atmosphere of excitement; it's not just about bunches of beautiful flowers and sumptuous feasting. Spring is in the air and hope surges anew. I feel so lucky that I was able to participate in so many wonderful events this year. Happy Year of the Rat!