Chase Pellegrini de Paur
In addition to our rigorous Chinese language studies, our days in Xiamen also include various culture interest groups. Half of us chose to learn Chinese calligraphy, while the other half chose to learn the basics of Xinjiang dance. In the Xinjiang dance group, we first learned a brief overview of a few of the many diverse minority groups of the Autonomous Xinjiang region. Each ethnic group, including Kazakhs and Uyghurs, has a unique style of dance. While our classmates were learning the proper stroke techniques of calligraphy, we began to put together a few movements of Kazakh dance. Our class clearly enjoys the dance music, as we’ve taken to causing disturbances in the hallways by loudly humming it. Today, we were excited to learn that we will be putting on a performance for our classmates in the beginning of August. With a special emphasis on shoulder movements, Kazakh dance is unlike anything any of us have ever learned. In my opinion, learning dance has been a great way to further increase our immersion in the Chinese culture. As a group, I know we’re looking forward to learning more about dance in China. Indeed, a lot of fun!
