Beijing Dance Academy's The Butterfly Lovers - China's Romeo and Juliet
By Richard Kaplan

The Beijing Dance Academy is currently touring the U.S. performing The Butterfly Lovers, a collection of dances that blend contemporary styles with Chinese classical, ethnic and folk dance. Described by many as China's Julliard School, the academy's graduates have gone on to receive both national and international acclaim in the world of dance.

The legend of The Butterfly Lovers, set in the Eastern Jing Dynasty of China (circa 265-420), is often described to Western audiences as China's Romeo and Juliet. It's also China's most famous violin concerto by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao (not exactly household names here in the U.S., but I hear they're megastars in China). And if that isn't enough, The Butterfly Lovers has once again been recreated, this time in the art of dance, thanks to the Beijing Dance Academy. What's more, it's here in Los Angeles and moving north (just like real butterflies do). Not bad for a story that's almost two thousand years old.

The story in a nutshell: Girl dresses as boy for higher-education opportunities. Girl falls in love with another student who is male. Frank Capraesque humor and zaniness ensue - just kidding, they both die. Wang Zihan and Shao Junting perform magically, expanding on traditional dance patterns with subtle, yet substantial movements that sometimes seem like a confidential and personal communication between performer and audience member.

In addition to The Butterfly Lovers, six other numbers, featuring the works of some of China's most talented, up-and-coming choreographers, are performed. Through gifted dancers, elaborate costumes and music, they bring a perfect blend of tradition and modern ideas to the stage. The satin pinks, whites and greens of elegantly flowing regal uniforms and gowns, as well as Chinese music played on traditional instruments are juxtaposed with modern dance styles and an irreverent, sometimes ironic, sense of fun.

"Emperor Quinn Counting his Soldiers" is probably one of the most traditional numbers. Four male dancers, with an image of the famous terra cotta soldiers in the background, perform what has come to be described by some as the standard of Chinese dance: ancient imperial uniforms, highly synchronized movements, a sprinkling of martial arts dazzle and stunning acrobatics, including hand-less summersaults and other gravity defying stunts.

Most impressive was "Three-Way Crossroads." performed by two men and a woman. It's a humorous (yet challenging) dance number performed to a modern rock beat played by traditional Chinese instruments.

Unlike the other numbers, the comical asymmetry of the performance is both novel and expressive. As a finale, the three pause for a long while, shed their traditional imperial robes to stand quietly in modern clothing before bowing to the crowd. It's a great statement on China's cultural growing pains.

I remember my uncle, a college professor, telling me about lecturing in the Soviet Union during the early 1970s. After one of his seminars, a student stood up and asked him "if living in America was difficult because of all the Indian attacks." After watching The Butterfly Lovers, I am beginning to feel like my perceptions of China were as outdated as that student's perception of America.

The collection of dance styles expressed on stage present us with the vibrancy and verve of China today - an ancient culture soldiering through spectacular change. A transformation that, in a way, must be as uncomfortable as it is exciting. Many of the dances performed seem to subtly reflect the culture's steady journey into openness and prosperity on one side and its struggle to weave so many modern ideas into the fabric of its proud centuries-old traditions.

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