8/23/2023 0 Comments Violin made in china![]() Most importantly, she feels she is the same 10-year-old girl in the Hmong refugee camp that always dreamed of dancing. ![]() Since joining Phoenix in 2021, Sanhunchai has learned how to count beats and utilize her flexibility in performances. Ever since joining Chinese dance I’ve been able to find myself in a group of people who are also looking for the same thing as me.”įor other dancers like Sanhunchai, Phoenix has been welcoming to people who don’t have any experience in Chinese dance. “Aside from speaking the language at home, I don’t really have that many other opportunities outside of home to explore more about that. ![]() “Especially in Minnesota, it’s not that common to be able to be in an environment where you’re surrounded by people with a similar background to you,” said Bai. And as a Chinese Minnesotan, she values being a part of an Asian community at Phoenix. Under Li, Bai has had opportunities to do solo performances and explore dance styles from different regions of China. “I pretty much never even dreamed of ever getting a solo” while dancing in other companies, Bai said. Bai said she appreciates Li’s teaching style, which caters to each dancer's unique strengths. Phoenix Chinese Dance Academy Chinese dance school brings community to young Asian womenįellow dancer Annie Bai, who has been training in Chinese dance for seven years, has seen significant growth in herself since joining Phoenix. She hopes to continue Chinese dance in college or at a local school after she graduates high school. So I think for me, it just was kind of about finding myself and then learning more about my culture, traditions and food.” “So when that part’s missing, you kind of don’t know who you are. “Culture is a very big part of our identity,” she said. Her white parents wanted her to be involved in something that would keep her connected to her cultural roots so they enrolled her in Chinese dance classes, and Emanoff has loved it ever since. The immersion into Chinese culture is especially important to 16-year-old Charlotte Emanoff, an adoptee from Hunan, China.Įmanoff is a senior dancer at Phoenix and has been dancing under Li since she was about four years old. Li, better known to her students as Li Lǎoshī or Teacher Li, teaches dance in Mandarin and English. “It means ‘one big family’ and so that’s how I feel with Phoenix.” “In Chinese there’s a word for everybody, they call it ‘dàjiā’,” said Sanhunchai. Since 2019, Phoenix has grown from 40 to about 80 female dancers, ranging from preschoolers to adults in their 60s. “My philosophy of running the school is to dance pure Chinese dance, so that the audience can experience the splendor of Chinese culture in the taste of China.” “Some people prefer to eat Americanized Chinese food, while others like authentic Chinese food,” said Li. Paul before founding her own dance school in 2019. Li spent a decade teaching at CAAM Chinese Dance Theater in St. ![]() The dance academy was founded by Ying Li, who is originally from the northern coastal city of Dalian. Jing Wang For Chinese adoptee, Phoenix is about finding identity
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