Traditional Chinese dance group ‘Wuzee’ prepares for debut showcase

Tufts Wuzee is a Chinese dance fusion group whose dedication to traditional Chinese culture through dance makes it a gem among all of the cultural fusion clubs on campus. Still in its infancy, Wuzee’s first ever showcase this Friday, titled “Through the Looking Glass,” might bring the group the visibility it is looking for.

The showcase will take place today at 8 p.m. in Cohen Auditorium, and is co-sponsored by the Chinese Students Association, Global China Connection and the Tufts Confucius Institute. Spirit of Color, Tufts Tamasha, Full Sound and Boston’s own Dance Revelasian will be featured in the show as guest performers. Tickets are free and available at the Campus Center information booth or on tuftstickets.com.

The name Wuzee (舞姿) translates from Chinese to “a dancer’s aura and energy.” The group was founded in 2014 as a subgroup of the Chinese Student Association (CSA) at Tufts by a small group of students who had practiced different kinds of dance independently before coming to campus, according to sophomore Leila Li, a member of Wuzee. It has brought a welcomed performative aspect to the CSA and has performed in the CSA’s New Year Gala, as well as the International Club’s Parade of Nations and other student cultural events. By 2016, Wuzee had garnered enough interest and support to break off from CSA and form an independent student group.

Wuzee originally began as a way to combine traditional Chinese and American hip-hop dance styles -- with a little bit of jazz thrown in -- to reflect the dance experiences of many of its founding members. But as time went on, members felt the need to represent Chinese history, tradition and aesthetics through dance, without always including a cultural fusion aspect.

Of Wuzee's 20 members, three of them have had experience with traditional Chinese dance since childhood, and the other 17 all learned the dance styles after having joined the club, according to Li.

Li, who has been a member of Wuzee for the past year-and-a-half, said she appreciates the opportunity to join a group specifically dedicated to Chinese dance.

"As much as I love Western pop culture, and I’ve learned hip-hop and jazz, I get to preserve my cultural identity through Chinese dance,” Li said.

Even in China, Li pointed out, traditional dance often takes a backseat to Western pop influences, despite government initiatives to revive the art forms.

Though Chinese students at Tufts are now working to reclaim these art forms, their efforts are not without challenges. Wuzee previously hired a professional Chinese dance coach earlier this year, but they now no longer have the budget to pay for a teacher. Instead, the most experienced members of the group find modern performances of traditional dances online, attempt to replicate them and then teach them to the other members, Li said.

As a result, putting together six dances for an independent showcase is no easy task.

“Coordinating a big showcase is not easy, given our small size and lack of experience. We were learning four dances in preparation for the showcase," she said. "[And] learning dances is also hard because most members have little background in Chinese dance.”

Li explained that tonight's dance pieces will incorporate colorful, traditional costumes as well as a variety of props including paper fans, parasols and exceptionally long, flowing sleeves. The performance will be emotional and fluid, but also ambitious, according to Li.

Despite logistical struggles, however, some internal dilemmas within the group extend beyond the members. The category of traditional Chinese dance is a broad one, and given that 91.51 percent of China’s population is Han, many forms of traditional dance have roots in court dances and customs of the Han dynasty, now typically called classical dance.

Li believes that there is a special magic associated with performing classical dances with such a long history, adding that she associates Wuzee with a sort of time travel quality.

“Classical dance shows the heritage of the majority [of China]: Han people. It was passed down through the imperial court for 3,000 years and reflects traditional aesthetics," Li said.

She added that China has 55 registered ethnic minority groups other than the Han. This diversity in ethnicity in China can be seen in the vastly different dance styles in the country, many of which are more fast-paced and exciting for beginning dancers in comparison to Han dance.

While Wuzee tries to reflect some of these diverse traditions in its dances, Li said this has opened the door to questions about cultural appropriation and what kinds of dances are appropriate to perform.

At this year’s Parade of Nations, Wuzee considered learning and performing a traditional Dai dance, which would have showcased some different styles and dance techniques than the ones they had previously learned, Li said. The Dai people hail from southwestern China, although many Dai people are ethnically related to Lao and Tai people as well. Ultimately, Wuzee decided not to perform it, at least for the time being, due to concerns that the dance would be interpreted as cultural appropriation because the dance may have originated in Thailand.

While continuing to address these issues, Wuzee has other hopes for its future, many of which rest on today's showcase. Over the long run, Li said, the group would like to expand in size and recruit more people, even ones without any background or experience in dance and hopefully gain more opportunities to perform. The group would also like to bring a professional teacher back to help its dancers learn new numbers, especially as the more experienced members graduate.

For now, the group's focus is on “Through the Looking Glass.” The name for the showcase was chosen because of its association with Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” series. It also conveys the idea of transferring to another time or world, which relates to the concept of reviving a traditional dance and culture.

The phrase was also chosen because of its similarity to a Chinese saying: “flower in the mirror, moon in the water.” This phrase is meant to represent an intangible kind of beauty, even a dream or mirage. Perhaps this is the aesthetic beauty and style the viewers can expect to see at the showcase.