The American Dance Competition (ADF) has launched Planting Seeds: ADF and Trendy Dance in China, an oral historical past challenge tracing ADF’s involvement in nurturing the event of recent dance in China. The gathering of greater than 21 hours of video interviews with 16 people, carried out on Zoom between June 2022 and Could 2023, is totally bilingual with English and Chinese language closed captions to make sure accessibility. It’s now accessible to the general public.
Jodee Nimerichter, ADF’s Government Director, says, “This challenge not solely gives perception into the previous 40 years of recent dance in China but additionally informs conversations about what is required to help the continuation of Chinese language fashionable dance.”
ADF’s reference to China started within the Nineteen Eighties when Chinese language choreographers, educators and directors, together with Yang Meiqi, attended ADF. Yang Meiqi requested ADF Director Charles Reinhart if ADF would assist set up the primary fashionable dance program in China, ensuing within the Guangdong Trendy Dance Experimental Program at Guangdong Dance Academy and later the Guangdong Trendy Dance Firm. The objective was to not copy what was being executed elsewhere however for American choreographers and academics to offer Chinese language dancers the instruments to develop fashionable dance from their very own tradition. Yang Meiqi and Reinhart are amongst these interviewed, sharing how their authentic objectives and hopes had been realized and the way the seeds they planted led instantly or not directly to success tales, such because the careers of a number of artists, significantly Shen Wei and Jin Xing, who’re additionally interviewed.
The challenge additional paperwork the experiences and impressions of the artists who taught in China and the scholars who participated in lessons. The lately deceased Sarah Stackhouse remembers instructing foundations of recent dance and items of Limón repertory in 1987. Ruby Shang, who taught at Guangdong in 1988, offers her perspective whereas her college students Jin Xing and Wang Mei discuss their first experiences with fashionable dance. Interviews with Wang Yabin, Hou Ying, Eiko Otake and Wen Hui make clear how ADF’s worldwide initiatives, just like the Worldwide Linkages Program (ILP) and the Worldwide Choreographers Residency (ICR) program, have fostered collaboration and cultural cross-pollination between the U.S. and China.
Past preserving the individuals’ experiences, the challenge goals to doc what was taking place in dance in China whereas ADF was providing worldwide trade applications and fostering new concepts and fashionable dance. Interviews with Ralph Samuelson, who served for over three a long time in numerous features on the Asian Cultural Council (ACC) and its predecessor, the John D. Rockefeller (JDR) third Fund, and Michelle Vosper, Director of the ACC in Hong Kong from 1986 to 2012, reveal the institutional help that was essential to make the imaginative and prescient of Yang Meiqi and Charles Reinhart change into a actuality.
Interviews had been carried out in Chinese language and English by Emily Wilcox, a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow, scholar of Chinese language dance research, and affiliate professor at William & Mary, who served as Venture Director. Captions had been created by Yao Xu, a doctoral candidate in dance research at Temple College, who served as Manufacturing Assistant. Dean Jeffrey, ADF Director of Archives, oversaw technical facets.
The challenge as an entire was developed, designed and produced by Jodee Nimerichter, ADF Government Director, with particular because of Cecily Cook dinner, Yang Meiqi, Charles Reinhart and Ralph Samuelson.
For extra, go to americandancefestival.org/planting-seeds.
