Our Mother, Our Father

Choreographer: Yanying Xiao

World Premier:

DCNY premier: February 2005

The Sun is out;

They step out onto the yellow earth;

They carry their burden;

They share their happiness;

How young they were...

Some Seasons

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: July 2006

DCNY Premier: July 2006

When the Leaves Turn

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: October 2005

DCNY Premier: October 2005

In the fall, when nature dresses the landscape with autumnal hues, girls have a final frolic among the colorful leaves before winter's darkness settles in.

Wu.Wu

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: September 2007

DCNY Premier: September 2007

Wu, martial arts, and Wu, dance are integral expressions of mind and body that create positive energy.

Of the Dragon

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: December 2008

DCNY Premier: December 2008

Of the Dragon, is an exploration of the Chinese American experience of surviving hardships, but never giving up, even after suffering through the panic and anxiety of life's burdens. The piece is inspired by the Yellow River Concerto, which is a composition considered to have the most historical, political, and economic significance in 20th century Chinese music history.

Autumn's Passing, Winter's Arrival

Choreographer: Dai Jian

World Premier: September 2006

DCNY Premier: September 2006

Moonlight

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: September 2006

DCNY Premier: September 2006

Dream of the Red Chamber (pas de deux)

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: January 2007

DCNY Premier: January 2007

Goodbye is Hard to Say

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: 1999

DCNY Premier: October 2005

Wishing them a safe return in the spring... A newly-wed wife tearfully says goodbye to her warrior-to-be husband upon his departure for war.

Morning Song

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: October 2005

DCNY Premier: October 2005

As a new day dawns, a mountain girl begins her daily duties. In this distant village far from civilization, she enjoys the simple pleasures of rural life - the sounds of birds and nature.

Soaring Mountains / Flower Water

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: May 2005

DCNY Premier: October 2005

The piece evokes the complementary and symbiotic "Yin/Yang" relationship between mountains and water - one stable and masculine, the other flowing and feminine. The mountain propels the downhill flow of water, which, in turn, fertilized the mountains' greenery.

Wu/Xing - Five Elements

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: December 2010

DCNY Premier: December 2010

Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water - This Chinese traditional philosophy addresses a world that is created in balance. Therefore, it is our obligation to save nature and save the world. The music is by internationally known composer Miguel Roig-Francoli. His fusion of Asian flavored orchestra work goes hand in hand with this dance's uncategorized Chinese style.

Untitled

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: December 2010

DCNY Premier: December 2010

Inspired by the recent earthquake in China and in the other places of the world, these unpredictable natural disasters brought sadness to the victims but also revealed their strength and compassion.

Music is Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on Themes of Paganini, Op, 43 which is one of the most beautiful pieces of music all time.

Inspired by the recent earthquake in China and those that occur all over the world, and set to Rachmaninoff's beautiful Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op, 43, Untitled reveals the strength and compassion of the people, who are the victims of these unpredictable, natural disasters.

The Memory of the 80's

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: December 2010

DNCY Premier: December 2010

THe 1980's were a very exciting period of time in China. For the first time, China opened up to the world. The new music and dance inspired a whole generation of people. Gu Jian fen, who is one of the most influential song writers in China, had the opportunity to write many popular songs in the 80's that are still popular today. The five different songs from Gu Jian Fen's collection we are utilizing are; 1.) Good Morning Road, This song depicts a group of young people energetically going to school or work in the morning. 2.) The leaves Missing The Roots, This melody depicts people who left the country in pursuit of their dreams but they could never stop missing their family and friends. 3.) Wipe Off the Sad Tears, This work depicts young people with broken hearts managing to get out of sadness and move forward. 4.) The world need Unconditional Love, and 5.) Spring Time, all cheerful and happy to dance.

In China, the 1980's were a very exciting period of time because for the first time, it opened itself up to the world, with new music and dance that inspired a whole generation of people. Gu Jiang Fen, one of China's most influential songwriters, had the opportunity to write pop songs of the 80's that are still popular today.

Across The River

Choreographers: Liu Xin Fan & Zhai Xiao Lian

In a distant village, far from modern civilization, young people enjoy the simple pleasures of rural life.

At the Crossroads Inn (Peking Opera excerpt)

Thinking that his guest is an assassin, innkeeper Lihua Liu (in black) sneaks into the darkened room of Tanghui Ren (in white) intending to kill him. When Liu enters Ren's chambers, Renis awakened and their ensuing confrontation is one of the most exciting scenes of stage combat in the Peking Opera.

Bowed Dance of the Long Sleeves - not online

The Dance of the Long Sleeves is an exquisite number that originated in the imperial court of the former Chu kingdom. Through the graceful spinning and movement of the dancers, the sleeves, measuring over three meters in length, are manipulated to resemble the arching of willow branches rustling in the wind.

Carrying the Bride

Pre-arranged marriages are an old Chinese custom and in the Yi Nationality tribe, it is also traditional for brides to be carried to the selected groom's home by the strongest man in her village. In this tale of forbidden love, a young bride is torn by her tender feelings for the man who must deliver her to her fate.

Choreographer: Ling Ma

World Premier:

DCNY Premier: February 2003

Celebration

Choreographer: Zhao Ming

DCNY Premier: January 2007

Celebration - Long Sleeve Dance & Golden Fan

Choreographer: Hangdong Xu

World Premier: February 2010

DCNY Premier: February 2010

Collecting Mulberry Leaves and Cultivating the Land

This suite of dances is recreated from the decorative patterns on pottery and other cultural relics from China's Warring States Period. The first segment uses the unique movements and postures of Chu period dances to reflect the languid grace of girls picking mulberry leaves while the second segment displays the more robust demeanor of ancient Chu period people who set off to work at sunrise and earn their living by farming.

Contemplations

Choreographers: Xiaoling Yang and Yuan Zhang

World Premier: February 2003

DCNY Premier: February 2003

A pot of clear, green tea - steam rising

Alone in moonlight, he sips and savors

Swaying with the wind

Heaven and man

Together and whole

Dan Jue

Choreographer: Yueling Yang

DCNY Premier: February 2005

The female leads huadan- cute, clever, young and bubbly and laodan - elderly women. Using finely honed movements, Dan Jue depicts female Peking opera artists at the different stages of their characters.

Daughters of the Moon

Choreographer: Yong Mei

DCNY Premier: February 2010

Double Happiness

Choreographer: Jianguo Yang

DCNY Premier: February 2005

A stout winter melon and a lanky cucumber- an unlikely pair. In this piece characteristic of China's Hebei Province, a stocky young country boy is about to meet his oddly long-legged bride for the very first time on their wedding day.

Drunken Sword

Choreographer:

DCNY Premier: February 2006

Dunhuang (excerpts)

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: February 2009

DCNY Premier: February 2009

Flying Apsaras

This duet, performed with flowing rainbow silk banners, is inspired by Tang Dynasty paintings of Buddhist deities in caves along the ancient Silk Road.

Folk Fan Dance - not online

Fan dances of infinite variation are performed in China throughout the year to celebrate festive occasions. Fluttering silk fan dances in traditional ethnic folk dance fashion are spirited and lively. Performed across China's diverse countryside, the fan dance styles differ from region to region.

Four Seasons in Opera Face

Choreographer: Weiya Chen

DCNY Premier: February 1996??

This dance is based upon the music of traditional opera. It depicts the exciting, magical and splendid moment that a young girl who has trained for many years in opera makes her debut on stage.

Generations of Yang Ge

Choregrapher: Jigang Zhang

World Premier:

DCNY Premier: February 2003

In soft candlelight, with the sky as his comforter and the earth as his mattress, Sits an elderly, wrinkled man who, his whole life, has done the 'yang ge'*. With its invigorating rhythm and its syncopated steps, To stay alive is to never let it go.

Golden Fan & Lotus Flower

Choreographer: Hangdong Xu

World Premier: February 2010

DCNY Premier: February 2010

Greeting the Rainbow

Choreographer: Weiya Chen

DCNY Premier: February 1996??

This Yi minority folk dance is set after the rain, when the sky has cleared and rainbow appears.

Half Moon Rising

Choreographer: Xiaoling Ying

Harmony of the Sword

Gathering energy guided by clear harmony.

Gentle vibrations lead to motion.

Swift as the wind, steady as still water.

In the glint of shimmering blades, chivalrous spirit reveals.

Harvest Dance

Throughout China's countryside, farmers mark the harvest with dances using simple silk fans, handkerchiefs and tambourines.

Hubei Fan

This rural folk dance from Hubei province is known for its distinctive 'flicking' of silk fans.

Joy

Choreographer: Wang Jing

World Premier: September 2006

DCNY Premier: September 2006

A traditional Korean dance that showcases beautiful costumes and fans.

Lion Dance

Chinese celebrations worldwide are often marked by the frolicking tricks of lions and their tamers. Lions are not native to China so they are viewed as quite mystical animals and believed to be very lucky.

A traditional dance frequently performed in celebration of the Lunar New Year, the Lion Dance was originally used for worship and to pray for rain. Accompanied by thundering drums and traditional Chinese musical instruments, the lions frolic and cavort playfully, enticed by the magic of a silk flower ball.

Lotus Aria

Luminous lotus flowers stir at dusk to dance with lapping waves and a gentle breeze and flirt with the moon.

Mongolian Prairie

On the high Mongolian plateaus of Northern China, festivals are celebrated with abundant food, song and dance. And all manners of utensils are used to create rhythmic imitations of horses' hooves galloping across an open prairie.

Mongolian Dance

This dance allows the audience to be immersed in the lively world of nomadic life.

The Monkey King

One of the most beloved characters from Chinese folk tales is the mischievous Monkey King who possesses magical powers. In different adventures, the Monkey King shows off his skills and consequently wreaks havoc in heaven (and earth). Episodes of the Monkey King adventures are artfully recreated in Peking Opera performances.

The Monkey King, Turtle Marshall, and Shrimp General (Peking Opera excerpt)

Choreographer: Ge Bai

This mythical tale is adapted from one of China's four celebrated epics, Journey to the West featuring the famous Monkey King. In this excerpt, the virtuous Monkey King encounters the Turtle Marshall and the Prawn General and demonstrates his humorous yet fierce fighting skills against them. The audience is presented with a first-hand display of the Monkey King's acrobatic skill, bravery, quick-wittedness and immense ability.

Moonlit Spring Night Over A River of Flowers

A fan dance in the classical Chinese tradition depicts a lady taking an evening stroll in the garden of the Imperial Palace under the light of a full moon.

Morning Spirit (SONG) - where does it go? Putting it under both and contemp description sounds better...

A new solo piece that follows a young woman as she playfully welcomes the sun and freshens up by the river to prepare for the day.

Northeast Yang Ge

Yang Ge is a folk dance style originating in agricultural working life. It is popular throughout China's countryside. Each region has its own distinct style of yang ge that is distinguished by different manipulations of the silk handkerchiefs and different movements of the feet. This Northeast Yang Ge mimics the blossoming flowers of springtime and the flapping wings of birds and fluttering butterflies as they descend on the fresh blooms. This dance is often performed at public gatherings as a way of welcoming the audience.

Nostalgia of the Grasslands

Nuo

Choregrapher: Shen Ying

World Premier: April 2007

DCNY Premier: September 2007

Nuo is a style of dance that dates back as many as 3,000 years among the tribes that lived in Jiangxi, and is based upon the legend of the founding of the universe by Pangu. Nuo dancers wear masks and chant "Nuo" to drive away the evil spirits that cause illness or accidents and to invite the good spirits that bring love and new life.

DCNY's version of Nuo is an excerpt from Shen Ying's full-length work that premier in Jiangxi in early 2007 and that toured Australia to critical acclaim, in the spring.

Ox Cradling

Choreographer: Ga Se, Zihong Shu

DCNY Premier: February 2010

Peacock

Chinese art is often inspired by elements in nature. This dance is a modern choreographic work based on birdlike movements and the native dance movements of the Dai nationality tribe in southern China's Yunnan Province.

Peking Opera Colors: Sheng, Dan, Jing, Chou (World Premiere) - not online

(The primary stock characters in the Chinese Opera tradition)

Sheng- leading men of distinction (sub-divided into laosheng- middle aged or elderly, xiaosheng- the young man and wusheng- the warrior)

Dan- the female leads (sub-divided into qingyi- sophisticated young or middle-aged women, huadan- cute, clever, young and bubbly, daomadan-the warrior, wudan- supernatural characters, laodan- elderly women and huashan- a combination of qingyi, huadan, and daomadan).

Jing- known popularly as hualian (painted face), these male characters with strong personalities wear different colors and designs on their faces to identify the nature of the character portrayed. Chou- characterized by a white patch on and around the nose, the chou is usually the clown or buffoon in an opera, who brings laughter and comic relief.

Piece of Green Leaf (One Green Leaf )

Choreographer: Du Gao

Poem of Plum Blooms

Choreography: Chen Min Lipman

World Premier: February 2006

DCNY Premier: February 2006

Plum Blossom in the Snow - not online

Performed in colorful traditional costumes, the company's dancers take the audiences on a journey from China's rural farmlands to the imperial courts.

Qing Palace Rhythms

Choreographer: Zhiqiang Want

World Premier: September 2006

DCNY Premier: September 2006

This dance, performed in court by the Emperor's wives celebrates these women and their desire to please the Emperor.

Red Ribbon

One of the most popular of China's folk dances - waving yards of bright silk, the dancers create a visual stage collage of circles, swirls, corkscrews, and curlicues. The silk ribbons to form billowing clouds and flames, swirling eddies, undulating waves, murmuring ripples and much more. This dance technique captures the major expression of festive folk celebration, palatial elegance, as well as celestial magic.

Red Ribbon Dance

Choreographer: Jin Ming

World Premier: 1951

DCNY Premier: October 2005 ??

Reflections on a New Year

Transcending space and time. Sometimes low, sometimes shrill but always there. Swirling with unwavering spirits and impassioned echoes of yearnings and dreams.

Reverie of Baoyu

Choreographer: Jiang Qi

World Premier: September 2006

DCNY Premier: September 2006

Based on the famous Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber, it is a piece that Jennifer Dunning from the NY Times has called, "A clearly told story of love and treachery."

Silk Clouds

Choreographer: Shan Wang

Inspired by the Tang Dynasty paintings of Buddhist deities, the dance recreates ritual entertainment performed in the Imperial Palace by dancers tossing and retracting the silk sleeves of their gowns to create images of clouds, waterfalls and ocean waves.

Soaring Bamboo Bells

Choreographers: Xiaoling Yang and Chunnuan Liu

Used mostly in Southern China, the bamboo bell is a traditional prop made of a bamboo stick attached to a string of bells. Dependant on the movement of the dancer, a range of bold, crisp and pleasant sounds can be heard. This dance uses a traditional dance style to create a new and dynamic aesthetic.

Song of Mongolia

Choreographer: Ding Wei

The grassland is wide, the sky blue, the shepherds are inspired.

Spring! When a Young Man's Fancy Turns To...

Choreographer: Qun Tao

World Premier:

DCNY Premier: February 2003

Playing a favorite melody and giddy with romance, three young men tease each other about their prospects of love in the springtime.

Strength in Brotherhood

Choreographer: Xiaoling Yang

Honor, Loyalty, Courage, Unity - Protecting homes and defending a nation

Strength of the Ox

Choreographer: Wenjing Ma

DCNY Premier: February 2010

Sword Dance

Combining dramatic gestures and movement from Chinese classical theater with martial arts swordplay, the sword dance depicts the fierce nobility and powerful grace of warriors in ancient China.

Tang Rhythm

This court dance from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) uses a basic rhythm regulated by deliberately tapping or stamping on the ground while the dancers' colorful flying sleeves express the rich Tang panorama.

Thunderstorm

Choreographer: Xiaoling Yang

"Thunderstorm" is based on a stage play written by Cao Yu, one of the most renowned playwrights of the 20th century. This masterpiece of modern Chinese drama has been repeatedly performed for decades, with many adapted versions made into film, opera, television and dance dramas. By depicting indecent affairs among members and servants of a wealthy family in 1930's China, the author portrays the human struggle to rise above sin and corruption.

Turquoise Mountain

The Nine-Tailed Fox Demon has broken the Heavenly mandates by transforming herself into a beautiful woman and seducing a young mortal. Her offense has been reported to the Heavenly Court who has sent warriors to capture her. The Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit resists and eventually escapes in victory.

Warrior Spirits

Choreographer: Weiya Chen

DCNY Premier: February 1996

This dance is inspired by the thousands of Terracotta clay warriors buried in full battle formation inside the ancient tombs of the Qin Emperor. Choreographer Weiya Chen fuses tradition with modernity to evoke their noble heroism.

Waterside

Choreographer: Xiaobing He and Shiping Yang

Guangxi Liuzhou district girls have the most beautiful black shiny hair

They're always seen washing and combing their long beautiful hair by the rippling stream.

Wedding Chamber

A comic yet tender depiction of a young country boy meeting his bride for the first time on their wedding night.

Xinjiang

The territory of northwest province of Xinjiang ranges from Alpine mountains to deserts and oases. The dance combines the broad and sweeping movements typical from north of the mountains, with the characteristic subtle neck and arm movements from the south.

Yellow Earth

Choreographer: Jigang Zhang

DCNY Premier: February 2005

A philosopher once said, "Yellow Earth is the cradle of a people".

An artist once said, "Yellow Earth is my inspiration".

A farmer once said, "Where there is Yellow Earth, there is life".