CAAM’s Chinese Dance Theater does not just entertain, but also celebrates Chinese cultural heritage through the universal language of dance.
Transcript
Opening: This is Minnesota's Legacy: A look at the organizations and people who have benefitted from Minnesota's unique Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.
BRITT AAMODT: It is a language spoken around the world and across time and cultures. And it doesn't use words. It is the language of dance.
LEORA DERECHIN: If I had to describe CAAM Chinese Dance Theater's goal, I would say it's to bring Chinese culture to other communities who are unfamiliar with Chinese traditions, as well as connecting the Chinese American communities together through what we consider the universal language of dance.
AAMODT: Leora Derechin is an instructor and performer with the St. Paul theater, founded in 1992. The oldest organization of its kind in the Midwest, it fosters the art of traditional Chinese dance through classes and a summer camp.
DERECHIN: If we're doing a specific dance, we'll learn what that dance is about and the history behind that so we can understand how to perform it in the best way possible.
AAMODT: The Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund not only helps the Chinese Dance Theater to teach the next generation of dancers but to bring this universal language to stages around the Twin Cities.
Closing: Minnesota's Legacy is a production of AMPERS, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, more at ampers dot org.