Salute to life
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To her, dancing is one way for ethnic minorities to show their feelings towards nature, as they believe everything to be born with a soul and spirit, and in need of communication.
"Ethnic groups consider people as earth's messengers for transmitting a human being's feelings to heaven. The language of dance is a mysterious one for ethnic groups," she said, explaining that was behind her idea of choosing peasants to perform in her shows.
Before she staged her first original dance drama, a lot of so-called ethnic dances were infused with too many artificial, modern elements, which diluted their essential elements. "Many ethnic songs and dances have lost their original charm. Just as their costumes are re-designed, their dances are choreographed with input from other genres such as ballet,'' she said.
Although she faced funding difficulties in staging Dynamic Yunnan, it was fulfilling. The critically acclaimed performance bagged five of the ten awards at the fourth "Lotus Award," China's highest honor for dance.
The success of her work, she explained, lies in its interpretation of life and its meaning. "They do not show the sickness, depression and anguish, but life itself - morality, spirit and feelings. It is about your consciousness of life," she pointed out.
Recent years have seen the frequent staging of ethnic dances, including as part of exchange programs, in other countries. However, Yang felt that "folk dances are primarily for the folks to entertain themselves. There should be a limit to using folk forms for the stage."
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