On the evening of March 13, hundreds of Cornell students and Ithaca community members braved the blistering cold and rain to pack into Bailey Hall for Illuminations and Amber Dance Troupe’s annual spring showcase, Rhythms of China. Looking around the warmly lit auditorium, the atmosphere was alive with anticipation as community members settled into their seats, many with congratulatory bouquets and balloons in hand. I had little sense of what to expect as a first-time attendee, but I quickly realized what drew the audience in: a deeply profound universal expression of joy.
Established in 2003, Amber is a student-choreographed graduate and undergraduate Chinese cultural dance troupe that aims to spotlight classical opera and folk dance styles for dancers of all levels. Their sister organization, Illuminations, established in 2004, pursues a similar mission, working with student choreographers to blend traditional Chinese dance with contemporary elements. Together, Amber and Illuminations work to preserve Chinese dance traditions on campus, with their annual collaboration on the Spring Showcase acting as a moving love letter to Chinese culture, and, most importantly, the community.
To be entirely transparent, I am not familiar with the cultural or historical context of the Chinese dance styles the two student organizations aim to promote; I walked into the showcase fearing that my own ignorance would be apparent and prevent me from truly appreciating their efforts. However, as I sat through their impressive 16-set program, each performance lasting at least three minutes, complete with distinctive costuming and carefully curated music that seamlessly fused centuries of Chinese history with contemporary rhythms, I realized that my worries were all for naught.
The showcase opened with “Lament for the Fallen Flowers,” a delicately ethereal piece, defined by the fluttering movement of the dancers' soft lavender costumes, that painted a story of the bittersweet rebirth, both physically and spiritually, that arrives after facing a terrible loss in life. I felt suspended between sorrow and relief as the dancers provoked the audience to ask: At what point does rebirth become just another loss?
The showcase continued its vulnerable atmosphere with the set “Rising Lanterns,” inspired by the Lantern Festival. Dancers carried glowing paper lanterns across the stage in buoyant movement, drawing audible gasps from the audience and me. The choreography suddenly transitioned into a more forceful cinematic movement to capture the fleeting moment before the lanterns are released each year, a moment that is both an ending and a beginning. Compared to the opening piece, “Rising Lanterns” drew loss not as a melancholic opportunity for rebirth, but rather as a quiet space to be filled with connection and hope. Illuminations and Amber weren’t scared to give their audience emotional whiplash as the performance moved into the bold “Unbound Grace,” which stood out as a striking modern piece that blended jazz elements with a heavy bass and traditional Chinese chords. Wonderfully disorientating, the choreography rapidly shifted between a sultry feminine confidence and an intensely angry chaos as it explores the reality of the feminine experience and body. However, within the carefully choreographed movements, the dancers reached an almost self-actualization as they reclaimed themselves, and most importantly, the perception others held of them.
I would be doing the showcase a disservice if I didn’t mention “Dance of the Peachicks,” a wholesome collaboration with young dancers from the Ithaca community. Dressed in white costumes adorned with shimmering peacock feathers, a symbol of beauty and good fortune, the emcee explained, the young dancers brought an unseen, purely infectious sincerity to the stage. Admittedly, their movements were not always synchronized, but that was the charm; it was immensely moving to watch them intermittently glance back at their student choreographers (Cornell students Sylvia Han, Xia Seufert-White and Allison Tang) for guidance while still dancing with an unfiltered enthusiasm that never faltered. The applause that followed was the loudest of the night.
As someone with limited exposure to Chinese dance and culture, I left Bailey Hall with a renewed appreciation for the universality of art and performance. It may sound cliché, but Rhythms of China granted me a much-needed reassurance that emotion transcends all barriers, even language. I didn’t need to be an expert; from the opening notes to the final bow, I understood what was intended, and I felt what was intended all the same.
There are very few experiences that I struggle to fully articulate in just words, but Rhythms of China makes my short list. I definitely did not do the showcase justice, so if you missed this year’s performance, I highly encourage you to add it to your calendar for next spring.
Leslie Monter-Casio is a member of the Class of 2028 in the Brooks School of Public Policy. They are a staff writer for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at lmontercasio@cornellsun.com.
