Learning about Culture and Language Through Dance

“Zǎo shang hǎo! Good morning!” greeted performers from the New York City Chinese Cultural Center as Somers Intermediate School students settled for an assembly.

The dancers shared Chinese history and stories through their dances. They started by celebrating the Lunar New Year with the Lion Dance, which is supposed to bring good luck. Students were mesmerized by the Lion as he moved around the stage and even came down to the audience.

Between dance performances, speakers from the cultural center taught the students some words in Chinese, such as Xīnnián kuàilè (Happy New Year), Xiè xiè (thank you), and Zài jiàn (goodbye). The students listened to the spoken words and then repeated them as a group.

For one performance, a speaker read the Mùlán cí (the poem of Mulan), first in Chinese and then again in English, as the dancers moved around the stage, visually telling the story through movement. The combination was both captivating and educational, exposing students to the culture in an engaging way.

To end the assembly, a dozen students were invited up on stage to learn different ribbon dance movements, including the rainbow, the dragon, the waterfall, and the firework. Each movement required them to pay attention to the dance instructor, follow directions, and keep time.

“That was the best assembly ever,” said a fifth grader on his way out of the gym. “I’m going to tell my mom about it.”