"Cosmofoball-Et" - When East Meets West, When Old Dances With New



Posted: Sunday, December 04, 2011

by Kathleen Tamia Mak
http://criticsroamtoday-cap.blogspot.com/

Read New YorkTimes, September 29, 2011, Myths and Legends Open Paris Ballet, by ROSLYN SULCAS: PARIS — History and tradition, the present and the new. That seems to be the thinking behind the Greek-myth pairing of Serge Lifar’s 1950 “Phèdre” and Alexei Ratmansky’s new“Psyché”….

Among"costume dance, modern dance, folk dance, ballroom dance, ballet (cosmofoball-et)", I like modern dance most. I used to dance discipline through elementary to middle school. The one who influenced me dance, was my childhood neighbor called “Little Mui”. She studied at "left wing school" (*background), where already a little leader, and a very activist she was. For me, I just learnt dancing, those politics I knew little. She taught me ballet, a merge of Eastern and Western style for the red Chinese scene "White-Haired Heroin", from very beginning. Those "sketch muscle, tendon, limbs" physical training really not easy, requires serious basic technique, the action "bounce up" like do fly.

As grow up, my artistic character raises, "fascinated in chasing" no boundary" freedom and innovation". The more the "tradition the format the mechanical", the more my interest reduced, I arrived to another extreme. This extreme influenced other parts of my life to extreme too, including thoughts, "religion and behavior". Such behavior spent my life almost 10 years. Be honest, there gives me "gain and lose". For gain, dare to do anything ; up to day fashion; enable new thing happen to me. For lose, everything not in-depth; satisfied on surface only; rash judgment, neglected "fundamental training" importance. Yet for those days, I do not regret, understand life must have wrought that one turns mature.

Days of ancient and modern, western meets eastern, all fond of culture and art exchange. But this not means allow neglect fundamental training. "Fundamental training" is very important, is knowledge and technics"threshold"; is "innovation and inspiration source". All fields of study have comparison thus have advancement. Lacks fundamental training, innovation if any, would look like"plagiarism", namely no-depth still.Of course, to have audience impressed a fresh and well-educated ballet, must see the "dedicated performance" by all the ability of director, dancer, "dance coup","orchestra", stage design, lighting, costume, make-up and technology.

To me, I like modern dance, because it "fusion" all kinds of dances and technics. Through a good modern dance performance, we might see the performers’ discipline, might also observe variety"factions origin" amid, condition like we appreciate music and paints. The best effect is the performers and audiences come to "ecstasy", where we might overlook the plagiarism and mechanical parts, and beyond to claim. We could be "inexplicably excited". Those of "director, stage design, lighting, costume, make-up" efforts, "structure the atmosphere" right these conditions dare "lift us to ecstasy".

(* background – I was educated at Hong Kong, a place rented to "British Colonial rule" since 1897, a consequence of "Nanking Treaty", a "war about trade and opium" . When Communists got the power after "1949 in Mainland China", Hong Kong society divided into "communistic and democratic sphere" politically. So far, global see Hong Kong as an "economic city" by surface, yet there "undermined streams" of "communistic and democratic movement" over years. At 1997, end of this treaty, "Hong Kong handed over" back to China, indicated end of the British rule, communistic influence takes place gradually over democratic. "Democratic development" strives hard now. Bless all.)

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article written by kwc Mak, critics blogger, updated 12/3/2011, USA
Kathleen Tamia Mak was educated in Hong Kong. Her last job was an executive administor of a youth NGO. She was immigrated to USA at 2011. Her discipline is Language and Translation and Social Science; critics blogger at Hong Kong since 2008 too. Now She further studies at UC Berkeley CA - Conflict Mgt. and hope contribute society as she could. She would like to continue her career in USA thus set up her US blog and become membership here. Her articles feature will be more vision from international dimension, particularly Asia Pacific. Thanks your support.
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