The Colours of Dance Academy, a traditional Chinese dance school brought home four gold and three silver medals from the Surrey Festival of Dance last weekend.
The Richmond dancers competed in the international dance category, going up against hundreds of other dancers from around B.C. in one of the largest amateur dance competitions in North America.
The Surrey Festival of Dance hasn’t been held in-person since COVID-19, so for many of the younger dancers, it was their first time on-stage at a competition, explained Jasmine Zhang, principal of the school, located at Continental Centre on Sexsmith Road, making it a “great learning opportunity” for them.
“It’s also an opportunity for them to learn from other dancers and to learn to respect their competitors. Sometimes that’s more important than dance skills.”
Dance can be for anyone of any age, Zhang explained.
The youngest dancer from Colours of Dance at last weekend’s competition was only seven years old, and the oldest dancer was in her 50s.
"People were very impressed with the older dancer’s performance," said Zhang.
“She might not have the best technique and flexibility, but she brought experience and depth into her performance and told a story – it was a very touching performance.”
Zhang graduated from Beijing Dance Academy, the most prestigious dance academy in China, and has taught Chinese dance in Richmond since she moved here more than 20 years ago.
She sees dance as a way for Chinese immigrants and their children to stay close to their roots as well as for other people to understand Chinese culture and history.
"When it comes to Chinese dance, many people think about fans or silk, but it's much more than that," she said, adding the dances cover a wide range including ethnic dance, folk dance, classical dance and modern dance.
"It can be cheerful and can also be very deep and soothing, telling stories about Chinese history that can date back more than 5,000 years ago.
“I hope dance can become a bridge for people to understand each other's culture, and to build mutual understanding in the community.”
