Chinese, American youths bridge cultures through dance
chinadaily.com.cn2025-06-10 22:24
Chinese and American youths jointly present a captivating dance performance at the East China Normal University in Shanghai on June 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Chinese and American youths jointly presented a captivating dance performance on Friday at the East China Normal University in Shanghai, bridging cultures with the universal language of art.
Hosted by the China Center for International People-to-People Exchange (CCIPE) and the East China Normal University, the performance featured 26 dances presented by the Utah Youth Dance Group from the United States and the university's Student Art Troupe and Shadow Crew.
Chinese and American youths jointly present a captivating dance performance at the East China Normal University in Shanghai on June 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Youth dancers from both sides performed diverse dance genres including jazz, contemporary, samba, hip hop, cabaret as well as traditional Chinese dance, showcasing the shared charm of the art form transcending national and cultural boundaries.
Yu Changxue, director-general of the CCIPE, pointed out before the show that dance enables young people of different languages to understand each other, build friendship and promote people-to-people exchanges and cross-cultural collaboration.
Chinese and American youths jointly present a captivating dance performance at the East China Normal University in Shanghai on June 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"The friendship between nations thrive when people connect, and true connection begins with heart-to-heart understanding. Art is the universal language, while dancing writes poetry that crosses all borders," said Yu.
Lei Qili, vice-president of the university, added that the friendship between Chinese and American youth is a shared treasure for both to grow together, and will help them better understand and collaborate with each other to address future global challenges.
Chinese and American youths jointly present a captivating dance performance at the East China Normal University in Shanghai on June 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Danny Dong, organizer of the American youth dance group and president of the Sino-American Culture & Performance Exchange Association, has been committed to promoting cultural exchanges between the two nations since 1992. Over the past three decades, he has brought nearly 40 American groups to China, and over 60 Chinese groups to the US. This time, he is leading a group of about 40 members to Shanghai, many of whom are making their first visit to the city and to China.
Chinese and American youths jointly present a captivating dance performance at the East China Normal University in Shanghai on June 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Ethan Jacobson, a 26-year-old part-time dancer and business owner from Utah, is one of them. Impressing the audience with several hip-hop dances and roller-skating performance on stage, he said he has gained a "breathtaking experience" while enjoying the people, scenery, food, culture, history and basically everything in Shanghai.
"It is incredibly beautiful, and everyone has been so welcoming, loving and nice. No matter what style of dance we are doing, it is a universal language like music, and we don't have to speak it to communicate. Dancing is a way that we all can express ourselves and different emotions. It's so cool to me that I can come to China, dance with people here and feel a deep connection with them," he said.
Chinese and American youths jointly present a captivating dance performance at the East China Normal University in Shanghai on June 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Accompanying the teenage dancers from Utah were several parents who also enjoyed the performances. Verronica Ortega, 40, is among those making their first visit to China together with her 12-year-old daughter. Her father, a former aerospace engineer, had lived in Chengdu, Sichuan province for about six months in 1996, and she has been looking forward to visiting China for a long time.
As a huge fan of arts, she was impressed by the Chinese culture and the atmosphere of passion and creativity for arts at the university. She was especially fascinated by the charm of traditional Chinese dancing.
Chinese and American youths jointly present a captivating dance performance at the East China Normal University in Shanghai on June 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"The traditional (Chinese) dancing is so elegant. When they move so peacefully, you can see the expression in their eyes and everything tells their story. It is so fascinating, impressive and also inspiring," she said.
"Art is one of those things that you don't need to know the language to feel, and it is such a great way to connect people together," she added.