Lotus Steps 2007

Saturday, May 05, 2007, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
UCLA Royce Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Cost: Free
For more information please visit UCLA's Center for Chinese Studies

The Chinese Cultural Dance Club at UCLA (CCDC) and Avante Photography, Inc. will present Lotus Steps 2007 - Inspiration at UCLA Royce Hall, on Saturday, May 5, 2007 at 7:00pm.  Tickets for the show are free of charge, and can be obtained at the UCLA Central Ticket Office (CTO) or online at http://www.ccdcbruins.com starting Monday, April 30.  The show will also feature guest performances by the Chinese Folk Dance Troupe and Families with Children from China-SoCal.

Lotus Steps 2007 is an opportunity for guests to learn and explore the diversity of China and the experiences of Chinese-Americans through folk dance, performance art, and music.  The student and alumni-choreographed dance pieces will take the audience on a journey through various regions of China.  Beginning at the Forbidden City, the audience will enjoy an imperial celebration fit for an Emperor.  They will then trek through the deserts of the Xinjiang Province in northwest China to discover the remains of an ancient ruin containing artifacts of the Uygur people. The Amis Tribe of the Taiwanese aborigines invites the audience to celebrate their collective existence as one happy family. An injured eagle will take the audience soaring over the grassy plains of inner-Mongolia.   As the audience ventures into the Yunnan Province of southern China, they stop at a tropical locale called Xishuangbanna where locals of the Dai ethnic minority entertain them with a candlelight court dance.   They will also visit the neighboring Wa community to witness a vibrant hair-tossing dance that celebrates the women's vibrant spirits.

Lotus Steps 2007 is themed "Inspiration," which embodies the motivation for the club to fulfill its mission of sharing Chinese culture through dance.  The interpretation of "inspiration" is three-fold.   First, dancers and choreographers are all internally inspired by some force.  This source of fuel moves them to accomplish great feats, whether it is mastering a simple dance move or creating a brilliant dance piece.  Internal inspiration is what brings the club's dancers together and encourages the instructors and choreographers to create, shape, and mold beautiful dances.  Second, the dances featured in Lotus Steps 2007 are all forged by some artistic vision.  Without inspiration, dances would have no meaning or feeling, and would otherwise be random movement.  It is this artistic inspiration that breathes life into the choreography.  Lastly, in fulfilling the club's mission, the club hopes to inspire cultural awareness and education on a universal scale.  The beauty and message behind dance transcends any and all social barriers.

In addition to producing Lotus Steps, CCDC organizes free dance instruction, mentoring programs for adopted children from China, and educational programs for disadvantaged and at-risk adolescents in the Los Angeles community. 

For additional information about either Lotus Steps 2007 or CCDC, please contact Patrick Pieng, Lotus Steps Production Manager of Public Relations at ccdc.publicrelations@gmail.com, or visit http://www.ccdcbruins.com.