Year of the (bull)dog
March/April 2006
Photograph by Mark Ostow

The Little Butterflies Dance Team had been studying with Connecticut choreographer Ming Yuan for less than six months when they performed the traditional Chinese red ribbon dance before a nearly full house at Woolsey Hall. The occasion was "A Night of Chinese Culture," a New Year's celebration produced annually by the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at Yale. This year's program, directed by Yuan and held on January 28, included the Jade Chinese Dance Ensemble performing "Phoenix Bamboo under the Moonlight"; award-winning cellist Chao-chun Liu '06MM playing a Taiwanese folk song suite; and Grand Master Jianqiang Hu, China's two-time all-around wushu champion, giving a martial arts demonstration with members of the Shaolin Wushu Center of South Windsor. There were 19 acts in all, so it was a good thing the Little Butterflies came third on the program; the youngest dancer is only ten.