舞印舞蹈中心暨舞印製作

This past weekend, DIP made another local appearance in our hometown of Rowland Heights for an exciting event put on by the Rowland Heights Chinese Association (RHCA) at the banquet floor of Seasons Place. The Installation and Fundraising Gala establishes and commemorates the upcoming leaders of the RHCA, and we are very proud to say that our top collaborative partner and friend John Hsu of STC Management was installed as the RHCA President ! Congratulations to John, STC, and the rest of the family

To celebrate, DIP performed a variety of dances. For many of the dancers in the B and C classes, this was their first performance, ever ! They were so excited and nervous, but put on their smiles for a great show. The youngest class performed a charming flower dance, taught by Miss Gloria and Miss Ingrid. There was also a Little Aborigine dance, performed by the combined B and C classes, a Golden Rings dance by the B class, and a bunch of dances like Ribbon Fantasy, Miracle, and Bobee, performed by the A class.

We know that 2012 will be a fantastic year for the RHCA !!

gathering together for a group picture after the performances !

Congratulations !!!

Last night, DIP brought our star piece of the year, Yin Yang, to the UC Irvine Bren Events Center for CAUCI’s annual Culture Night ! Yin Yang was just one dance out of many different acts, including skit, martial arts, hip-hop, taiko, and lion dance. In addition to presiding over the DIP studio, Ms. Anne is also the main choreographer and dance director for CA Culture Night. She taught three dances for CA– a fast-paced all-male drum dance, a graceful all-girl fan dance, and a charming co-ed dance with lifts and acrobatics.

the opening sequence of Yin Yang

Here are videos taken by CA students of the co-ed and all girls’ dance !

here are a few more photos taken by CAUCI students !

all-male puts on their game face

all-girls blossom gracefully in their fan dance

some of our DIP guys showcase their skill with CA martial arts

This past Saturday was one of our largest shows of the year, the ACDA Annual Dance Festival ! As you know, we have been preparing and rehearsing for a long time, and it was finally time to showcase our best efforts !

We all arrived at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse at 12, and spent an entire day on dress runs, hair and makeup, stretching, mental run-throughs, and just hanging out with the DIP family. The first dress run was recorded on video, and was followed by additional drill and rehearsal in one of the venue’s practice rooms. Artistic Director Anne and a few DIP veterans took on the task of doing every dancer’s stage makeup– it was truly elaborate and shined on stage!

Our dance this year was called “Yin Yang- 5 Elements”, and was a blend of martial arts and modern style. To express yin and yang, the first half of the dance combined graceful, flowing modern dance techniques with harder, more intense Chinese martial arts style dance. The second half, which was the weapons portion, expressed the elements- fire, earth, metal, water, and wood- through the use of different weapons- spear, straight sword, broad sword, chain whip, and staff. The actual performance was stunning; despite a few mistakes here and there, the crowd was still enthusiastic, clapping constantly throughout our dance and giving an uproar of applause at the end! It was great to have so much support from the community, as well as all the friends and family who came to attend the festival.  A few of Anne’s students from UC Irvine’s Chinese Association also came to the show to support, and it was great seeing them there !

group photo between the dress run and the final performance

and of course, a silly picture as well !

getting dinner with CAUCI students at Younique Cafe after the show !