Appreciation of Modern Chinese and Western Dance Works

Author: Liu Qingyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Dance is one of the earliest created silent symbolic language systems. In the various aspects of human life from the beginning of humanity, it serves functions such as communication, storytelling, meaning-making, and self-expression, aiming to connect with nature, with deities, and with others. Humans, centered on themselves, express the meaning they discover in nature, showcase their creativity and imagination, and embody what it means to be "human." An act of transcending nature. Since the establishment of human civilization, dance has become a means by which humans, with their distinct will, train their bodies through special forms to shape idealized body art. Therefore, within the dancer's body lies the political views, cultural perspectives, moral beliefs, and worldviews of people from different eras, ethnicities, countries, regions, classes, and individuals. The human body is a symbolic system filled with meaning, serving as a silent language that plays a crucial role in human communication. Through the body and its movements, people convey the various moods of individuals. Through the body, people judge another's age, identity, and gender; understand their thoughts, emotions, desires, and states. Through the body, people interpret the politics, culture, customs, morals, and trends of the times. Humans are a gregarious animal society, and all of humanity's achievements in this world inevitably rest on interaction with others and accomplishments centered around serving others. Therefore, understanding people, understanding is the foundation for humans to achieve harmony with the universe in this world. However, modern civilization exaggerates the role of the spirit while despising the physical life of humans, leading to humanity's neglect of the body and the estrangement between people. Because people view the body as a tool for pleasure, they become captivated by the superficial, physical splendor of certain dance arts, thereby overlooking the "representative" function of dance as a true barometer of human history and life, and failing to see the radiant humanistic spirit that shines in dance art. For this reason, this book systematically and comprehensively introduces readers to famous or representative dance works or genres from ancient and modern times around the world. While guiding readers to appreciate dance art, it enables them to understand the way dancers communicate through their bodies; the history of the development of body language as used by dancers; and the physical and life forms revealed in dance art works and dancers' bodies, shaped by different eras, countries, ethnicities, cultures, customs, and aesthetic ideals. Furthermore, it encourages readers to pay attention to and familiarize themselves with their own bodies, to understand and care for others' bodies, and to cultivate a harmonious and healthy physical vessel for a harmonious and healthy mind.
Volume I is "Appreciation of Chinese Folk and Ethnic Dance Works," which systematically critiques representative works of Chinese folk and ethnic dance and Chinese classical dance created by dance artists since the 1940s.
Volume II is "Appreciation of Chinese and Foreign Ballet Dance Works," which systematically evaluates the representative works from different historical periods in the hundreds of years since the birth and development of ballet.
Volume III is "Appreciation of Chinese and Western Modern Dance Works," which systematically introduces modern dance works from different historical periods in China and the West since the 20th century.
Volume IV is "Appreciation of Foreign Popular Dance Works," which systematically introduces dance cultures from different historical periods around the world, primarily centered on fashion entertainment and popular culture, along with their representative works and genres.
Volume V is "Appreciation of Foreign Folk and Ethnic Dance Works," which systematically introduces the various types of folk and ethnic dance from around the world that Chinese audiences wish to understand in the context of cultural exchange between China and the world.
Volume VI is "Appreciation of Chinese and Foreign Dance Masterpieces," designed to meet the growing demand of the dance continuing education and adult education market for teaching materials, while also serving as a comprehensive volume that collects the essence of the previous five volumes to cater to the different needs of teachers and students.