'China in Dance' a riveting show

Imagine a great palace inside China's magnificent Forbidden City -- the brilliant reds and yellows, the finest silks, the sweeping grandeur. Now picture a corps of elegant women dressed in an array of vibrant colors and perched on sandals attached to tiny wedges. Gently, the women begin an elegant march, hands and arms flowing, dresses swaying lightly in the breeze generated by their gracious movements. It's a mesmerizing image made all the more so by the rich music and vibrant backdrop of red and gold pagodas.

Qing Dynasty Imperial Palace Dance may have been the most compelling of the dances presented by the Asian Performing Arts Theater but it was hardly alone in its capacity to captivate during the evening-long presentation of dance and music from China. Brainchild of Artistic Director Li Heng Da, who left China in 1991 to dance with Pacific Northwest Ballet, the performance combined traditional Chinese instrumental music, contemporary dance, martial arts and acrobatics in a tribute to the intensity andlongevity of the Chinese people.

DANCE REVIEW

Descendants of the Dragon. Asian Performing Arts Theater's "China in Dance Series." Friday night at Meany Hall.

Many of the hallmarks of traditional Chinese dance were on display, most notably the use of shimmering fabric to evoke ocean waves, a turbulent river, giant snowflakes swirling through the air. In Snow Flakes, for instance, women dressed in flowing gowns twirl diaphanous squares as they wove in and out of one another. The effect was magical.

More familiar was The Dream of the Gold Mountain, which used classical ballet steps to portray a love duet of joy and pathos amid the struggle of the lives of early Chinese immigrants. Huo Mandi, of China's Shenyang Conservatory of Music and Dance, was spellbinding as the young female lover with her incredible leg extensions and gorgeous line. As the object of her affection, Liu Yufei communicated both male physicality and emotional sensitivity as the two enacted a touching story of meeting and falling in love.

The Sword Dance, in stark contract to the lyrical Gold Mountain, featured the dynamic Seattle WuShu and TaiChi master Yijiao Hong. The speed and force of Hong's turns and jumps were made even more riveting by the use of a sword, whose flashing blade was almost impossible to keep track of. In WuShu, she was joined by a group of her students. With equal intensity, they hurled themselves around the stage, landing with such force that the theater almost shook.

As if those riches were not sufficient to inspire and amaze, Xiao Yu's powerful playing of the Chinese PiPa, a stringed instrument noted for its pulsating sound, added additional intensity to the visual theatrics. Whether played as a solo instrumental or accompaniment to a dance, the PiPa underscored the capacity of the Chinese people to achieve and endure. One hopes that endurance will extend to the Asian Performing Arts Theater, whose efforts to showcase the breadth and beauty of China's performing arts are an important part of Seattle's diverse cultural life.