Little Lotus Dance Troupe holds open house and auditions

May 27, 8:26 PMInternational Adoption ExaminerCathy Doheny

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the International Adoption Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

JieJie class performs for Chinese New Year at Imaginon*

Mark your calendars for the upcoming open house and auditions for the Little Lotus Dance Troupe! The open house is a great opportunity to learn more about this unique Chinese dance troupe. It is scheduled for this Friday, May 29th at 5pm for the MeiMei class (ages 5-8 by June 1) and at 6:40pm for the JieJie class (ages 9-12 by June 1) at Myers Park Presbyterian Church at 2501 Oxford Place in Charlotte. All parents interested in having their daughter audition for the group are asked to attend the open house.

The audition itself will take place Friday, June 12 at 6pm, also at Myers Park Presbyterian Church. There will be up to three spots open for the younger group. Organizers are mainly looking for children who can follow directions and have a sense of rhythm, when moving around with the music. They are also looking for children, who are graceful,  poised, well-mannered, and energetic.

There will also be up to three spots open for the older group. Candidates must have at least 5 years of dance or gymnastics, or a combination of 5 years of the two; with extensive on-stage performance/competition experience. In order to audition for the JieJie class, the child should bring a performance quality dance number with her own music or a gymnastic floor competition piece with or without music. The child will also be asked to improvise Chinese dance movements with Chinese music provided by the teacher, XiaoSong. In addition, she will be asked a few questions regarding her reasons for wanting to participate in the troupe. At the time of the audition, parents will also be asked several questions regarding their motivation for wanting their child to join the group, as well as addressing the commitment required of both the parent and child to participate in the group.

The classes/rehearsals for the troupe meet on Friday evenings, beginning August 28th. There is a monthly class fee to participate in the group. If a child makes the audition, she is required to attend a one week-long Summer Dance Workshop (the second week of August, 2009) to be admitted to the Litle Lotus Dance Troupe for the following year.

In addition to the MeiMei and JieJie classes, troupe leader XiaoSong is also offering a class for four year-olds (4 years old by June 1, 2009) this year for the very first time. No prior dance or gymnastics training is required of these children, and they will not need to attend the open house, auditions, or summer camp. Unlike the older classes, this class will not be focused on performance commitments. At the conclusion of the year, these children may plan to begin the MeiMei class the following year, as determined by the parent and teacher. The classes are tentatively scheduled to begin in the Fall on Fridays at 4:15, though this time can be adjusted, depending on the needs of the majority of participants.

For years, participation in the Little Lotus Dance Troupe has been a source of joy for many adopted Chinese children in the Charlotte area. The group, which also includes non-adopted Chinese Americans, educates the children about Chinese culture and helps to give them pride in their heritage. Plus, it's just a lot of fun!

*photo - taken by Cathy Doheny