The Art - Photography

The 21st anniversary gala of the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company. My nieces danced in two numbers, and I took these photos when visiting with them before and after. The two numbers in which they performed were, as described on the Company's website:

WATCHING CHINESE OPERA ON THE STREET: This dance depicts a group of children watching a Chinese opera performance on the street in front of their grandmother’s house. They have a great time imitating the Chinese opera movements of the street performers. However, the show is too long for their young age and they struggle to stay awake.

MONGOLIAN DANCE: “TENGGELITALA”: Mongols, who are the eighth largest ethnic minority in China, live a nomadic lifestyle on the vast grasslands of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Their dance style expresses their unconstrained character, brave hearts, and worship of legendary heroes. Nicknamed “the race on horseback,” Mongols love horses and geese. As a result, they have developed a range of gestures to imitate these animals in their dancing. Repeated shoulder shrugging and squatting stances, which are connected with their nomadic lifestyle, are also characteristics of Mongolian dance. The title of this dance “Tenggelitala” means “heavenly grassland” in Mongolian. It is also the name of a popular tourist spot with grasslands and volcanoes. The white scarf in the dance is called “hada,” which is customarily presented by Mongolians and Tibetans as a gift to honorable guests. The “hada” represents purity, loyalty, and respect.