Founded in 2014, Wuzee is a Chinese fusion dance group that strikes a balance between traditional Chinese dance styles and more Western contemporary styles. Its dances range “from very traditional Chinese/ethnic dances to ballet and hip-hop components,” senior and co-captain Claire Liu said.
Liu explained that Wuzee's fusing of various styles results in a celebration of culture and modernity, which is evident in the group’s history.
Over the past six years, Wuzee has grown into a versatile and popular group. It hosted its first showcase in 2017 titled “Through the Looking Glass,” which was inspired by EnglishauthorLewis Carroll’s “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” series (1865–71). Since then the group has performed at events like the International Club’s Parade of Nations and the Tufts Ballroom Team’s Winter Showcase.
“We would have a showcase every year,” senior and co-captain Zihan Yu said, “and we had dance practices where each dance group would meet and practice once a week at least.”
Wuzee's social aspect looks similar to many other Tufts clubs. Liu, who was social chair, explained that the group “[tries] to have whole team bondings” to build community among the members. She described a few events, including the group’s white elephant gift exchange in December.
Wuzee also attempted a family structure in the group to build connection among members, but the group has noticed that dance bonding activities worked better. “Members meet with their dances and get a great opportunity to get to know them better,” Liu added.
The group has seen strong membership and participation since growing from being a subgroup of the Tufts Chinese Student Association in 2016 — especially this past academic year. “We had 10 to 15 students,” Yu explained, “and this past year, we doubled that.”
Wuzee’s increasing popularity could be attributed to many things — including increasing visibility at campus showcases and performances — but it’s truly a testament to their focus on welcoming dancers of any and all backgrounds and experiences.
“We’re very open and we don’t hold auditions. And we encourage anyone who’s interested to join the group, so you don’t need to be Chinese or have any sort of dance experience,” Liu elaborated. She says that most of Wuzee’s current members don’t have major dance experience and are taught by senior members, captains and other more experienced dancers.
The dances themselves range in size, so there are plenty of opportunities for new members to get the spotlight and for senior members to show off. “Our big group dances, which usually the whole team does together, are led by coaches who choreograph them,” Liu said.
And as for smaller dances, leaders are in charge of teaching the choreography to the team. While the team learns and practices, other members research costumes, music, design and other elements to make performances feel polished and exciting. But it’s ultimately a collaborative process to create and present the five to eight dances that Wuzee performs at its showcases.
Wuzee’s collaborative spirit isn’t just felt in its creation process; the group regularly performs at other events, and has other groups perform at its own showcases. “They’re usually other cultural performance groups,” Yu said. “We’ve had Spirit of the Creative, Sarabande, Middle Eastern Dance and Full Sound, the Chinese a cappella group.”
Of course, Wuzee’s in-person work has changed thanks to COVID-19.“All of our dances have moved online,” Yu said, “and we did a virtual general interest meeting.” Like previous years, members sign up for the dances they want to participate in. But learning the dances — some of which are from last year — involves asynchronous tutorial videos and office hours for members to work individually on dances.
Wuzee is also hosting a showcase this year, but it’s unclear whether or not it will occur in person or virtually. “We would probably do an online screening that’s synchronous and would involve people watching it and then giving feedback,” she added.
Wuzee’s resilience to keep the group popular and engaging throughout COVID-19 is certainly admirable. The group’s focus is to adapt as best as possible for the current times and keep the group’s presence as an important intersection of cultural and artistic expression. “It’s a really welcoming group and such a place where we can have a really supportive and great community,” Liu said.
