Classical and contemporary dances ring in the Year of the Rabbit in Minnesota

On Jan. 22, over a billion people worldwide will celebrate renewal and rebirth when they ring in the Lunar New Year. It's known by different names — Spring Festival in China and Taiwan, Seollal in South Korea and Tet Nguyen Dan in Vietnam — but it's celebrated in a similar spirit where families get together, remember their ancestors and prepare foods believed to bring good luck and prosperity.

Those traditions, plus more are observed in the Twin Cities, too.

Haihua Wei, a volunteer with the Chinese American Association of Minnesota's Chinese Dance Theater, said she remembers getting red bags filled with money, as well as new clothes when she was a child growing up in China. "Instead of exchanging gifts, we just received money from our elders," she said, with a gleeful smile.

Jinyu Zhou, artistic director of CAAM, which recently marked its 30th anniversary, explained that Lunar New Year overlaps China's spring harvest, and symbolizes prosperity and good fortune.

"It's a time for family gathering and togetherness," she said, through a translator. "It's a time to remember and have ceremonies for our ancestors."

On Feb. 4 and 5, CAAM will mark the new year with "Radiance," a show featuring classical, folk and contemporary dance forms at the O'Shaughnessy. But it's not the only Chinese troupe performing at the St. Paul venue. Twin Cities Chinese Dance Center's "Retrospective and Outlook" will take the stage Saturday and Sunday, and the Phoenix Chinese Dance Academy will perform "Poetry in the Seasons" on Jan. 28.

That one local venue can accommodate three different Chinese dance companies is a testament to the rich Chinese community in Minnesota. According to Minnesota Compass, the Chinese population in 2020 was 41,673.

"We go over there to support their show, and then they come to our show," she said.

The Twin Cities Chinese company, which is marking its 20th anniversary this year, often incorporates different ethnic traditions as part of its performances, featuring Thai or Mongolian dances, for instance. In the past, it has highlighted dances from the Hmong community, Tibet and the Xinjiang region in China.

This year, it will revisit dances performed over its past 20 years and feature erhu virtuoso Zhu Changyao, who recently played the string instrument at New York City's Carnegie Hall, in addition to local singers. The music will draw from a number of different styles, and even include Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," in a piece choreographed to emphasize the important role that birds play in the environment, Kwan said. The company will give a nod to this year's Chinese zodiac animal by including a rabbit dance.

CAAM also brings the rabbit into its performance for its opening number. It will feature Aloe Liu, who has choreographed a number of pieces for the show, as a mother rabbit.

Liu, who moved to the United States from Yunnan province a year ago and performed at the Walker Art Center's Choreographer's Evening, said her hometown, with its many different ethnic groups, celebrates the new year differently than much of China. For example, the dragon dance, which will be performed by CAAM, was not part of the revelry in her growing up years.

The touring New York-based company Shen Yun Performing Arts also will showcase classical Chinese dance, but with more extravagant backdrops, when it stops by the Orpheum Theatre Feb. 24-26. Shen Yun was established by the practitioners of the spiritual movement Falun Dafa, aka Falun Gong, which denounces the Chinese government.

"One of the biggest issues right now is that people are confusing us with them," said CAAM board member Bea Rothweiler, who is not Chinese and got involved with the Minneapolis company as an adoptive parent. She added that CAAM doesn't bring politics into its shows.

"We draw from all of the diaspora," Rothweiler said. "So we don't take a standing on anything. We really want to be considered part of the artistic community here, contributing a voice and diversity to the artistic expression through Chinese traditions."

Zhou also stressed that the company's mission is to carry out the essence of Chinese arts and culture and not be involved in political issues.

Wei concurred. "We don't take any political stance," she said. "It's just culture and art."

The O'Shaughnessy (2004 Randolph Av., St. Paul, 651-690-6700) will host:

Twin Cities Chinese Dance Center: "Retrospective and Outlook," 7 p.m. Sat. & 2 p.m. Sun., $15-$20.

Phoenix Chinese Dance Academy: "Poetry in the Seasons," 4:30 p.m., Jan. 28, $30.