April 11, 2005 – The Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company will perform at the Reichhold Center for the Arts on Saturday May 14, 2005 at 8 p.m., and will conduct a series of student residencies as well as a Master Dance Class on Friday, May 13.
A native of Shanghai and a former leading dancer with the Shanghai Opera House, Lily Cai is a prominent member of the California bay area's dance community. Since arriving in California in 1983, Cai has choreographed dozens of new works and has become widely recognized for her artistic and inventive combination of styles. In 1988, Cai formed the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company with the ultimate goal of giving American dance a Chinese face. The Company bridges the continuum from past to contemporary works, fusing classical Chinese and ballet, complemented by dazzling costumes, original music, and multi-media designs.
Through Cai's increasingly contemporary and artistically intimate works such as "Candelas" (1997) with lit candles, "Southern Girl" (1998) with the Alexander String Quartet, "Detours: Common Ground II" (1999) with Dimensions Dance Theater, and "Strings Calligraphy" (2000) with the New Jersey Chamber Orchestra, the Company performs concerts that highlight Cai's signature technique and the professional artistry of each dancer. Touring nationally, the Company offers two distinctive programs "Dynasties and Beyond" and "Dance Calligraphy."
Out of the two specified programs, the performance at the Reichhold Center will feature "Dynasties and Beyond." "Dynasties and Beyond" is a program that bridges the past to the contemporary, from spectacular court dances of Chinese dynasties to contemporary works fusing classical Chinese dance and ballet, which is complemented by dazzling costumes, original music and multi-media designs. Included in "Dynasties and Beyond" is "Dynasty Suite," "Begin From Here," and "Candelas." "Dynasties Suite" is Cai's enchanting interpretation of four classical Chinese dances from dynasties beginning in 770 B.C. to the present. "Begin From Here" is the testimony of a Chinese artist in the process of forming new perceptions and visions as a result of being infused with new circumstances, influences and ideas from the West. "Candelas" is choreographed with Cai's unique modern point of view and features her company in an intimate encounter with beauty and live fire. Each of the dances includes a variety of richly embroidered Chinese costumes along with headdresses and silk ribbons that the company is known for while creating beautiful visual designs and patterns across the stage.
This remarkable troupe is composed of seven female dancers who radiate as delicate moving sculptures created by Cai, the company's artistic director and choreographer. She is assisted by musical and technical directors who complete the company.
The Reichhold Center for the Arts, in conjunction with the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts, will host a series of student residencies with the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company on Friday, May 13, at the Charlotte Amalie High School Auditorium on St. Thomas at 1 p.m., and at the St. John School of the Arts on St. John at 10 a.m. Additionally, Lily Cai will conduct a master class at 6 p.m. at the Reichhold Center for the Arts that will teach the techniques and styles employed by the company. Persons interested in participating in the master class should sign up by calling 693-1559. Space is limited for the master class.
Tickets for the performance are available at Modern Music (both locations), Parrot Fish, Krystal Gifts Galore, Connections on St. John, the UVI Bookstore and ticketing services at the Reichhold Center for the Arts.
For more information regarding the performance, residencies, and master class contact Myrshem H. George, The Reichhold Center's marketing manager, at 693-1563.
