Yanlai Dance Academy shares Chinese culture through music and motion
Yanlai Dance Academy teaches Chinese dance, as well as ballet and K-Pop
Yanlai Dance Academy teaches Chinese dance, as well as ballet and K-Pop
Yanlai Dance Academy teaches Chinese dance, as well as ballet and K-Pop
On the outside, it appears to be like any other shopping plaza along Babcock Boulevard in Ross Township.
But once you’re inside Yanlai Dance Academy, you are transported an ocean away, coming face-to-face with beauty in motion. You are immersed in the history, tradition, and grace of Chinese dance.
“Sometimes when you see Mongolian dance, Korean dance, Uzbekistan dance, but they are Chinese dance," said owner Yanlai Wu. “Because we also share a nationality with them.”
Wu, a world-acclaimed professional dancer herself, started professional training at the age of 12. She was hand-picked to attend the Beijing Dance Academy, the most prestigious dance school in China. Wu co-founded the dance studio in 2003 with fellow professional dancer Ying Li. Wu says she came up with the idea of opening a school in Pittsburgh after seeing one like it in Houston, Texas.
"I talked to my schoolmates who were the Pittsburgh Ballet principal dancers at that time,” says Wu. “Then they said, ‘OK why not come here, to Pittsburgh, because we’ve never had a Chinese dance school,'"
Now almost 20 years later, Yanlai Dance Academy teaches a wide array of Chinese dance, created by different ethnicities and regions across the world’s most populous country. Additionally, all students learn ballet, Wu says, as an important foundation to train their bodies and improve their grace, flexibility, and strength. Embracing modern trends, the school also offers classes inspired by K-Pop music, groups, and culture.
"You can do anywhere to get ballet or jazz. But you can't go anywhere for Chinese dance except for here,” said dancer and instructor Charis Styslinger. “And it’s really just about beauty and the preservation of culture and tradition from China.”
Lucy Chen became a student at Yanlai Dance Academy in 2005 when she was 6 years old.
"It was a great way for me to personally connect with my culture; my dad is Chinese and he’s actually second generation, grew up in the states," Chen said. “So, it was also a great way for me to connect with my grandparents and the culture they came from.”
Now, after moving away to attend college, she is back as one of the instructors at Yanlai, teaching the next generation.
“It’s so good to see them and show their progress throughout the year and how much skills they've developed and how much they've learned about other cultures and their own cultures as well,” said Chen.
Much like Chen, many of the other dancers use the lessons they learn at the dance academy as a way to experience and embrace their culture, especially, for the younger students.
"I think for my daughter, as an American-born Chinese, they often have, question their identify,” said student Ming Ni. “I feel like when I dance, when I show her, like see, this is a chance for you to learn Chinese culture."
For all ages, dance is a way of expressing passion and appreciation for culture unlike any other.
Click here to learn more about the Yanlai Dance Academy.