BROOKFIELD — For the past year, a group of women have been twirling, playing, and dancing with swords.
“Usually girls don’t play with swords. This is the first time I played with a sword, and it’s fantastic," Wendy Yi said.
Li is a sword dancer. She practices and performs with a group of women committed to learning different traditional Chinese dances.
“(Sword dancing) was believed to embody the spirit of bravery, strength, and honor," Ying Li, another sword dancer said.
Sword dancing is a roughly 1,500-year-old tradition. It originated as an army training exercise from the Tang Dynasty in China. Today, it's more commonly associated with physical exercise and dance.
The women who perform the dance are associated with the Milwaukee Chinese Community Center. They have performed all across the area at events like China Lights, Chinese New Year celebrations, the Dragon Boat Festival, and at local businesses.
“I hope the audience will find it visually interesting and that will probably give them some insights into the Chinese history, culture, and traditions," Yi said.
After filming them, I wanted to experience the dance myself. At first, I wasn’t great at handling the sword. But after a little practice, I finally got it.
Watch the video to see what sword dancing looks like and how fast I picked it up...
In the past, this group has learned and performed other traditional Chinese dances like the Kung Fu Fan Dance and the Handkerchief Dance. By practicing this ancient art, audiences are given a glimpse into the past bringing Chinese history to life.
“I think the beauty of the sword dance attracted us right away. We wanted to continue the culture of this long-history dance and express how beautiful it is," Li said.
Sword Dancing connects them to their culture despite being thousands of miles away.
If you would like to have them perform at one of your events reach out to Ping Wang at pwang6994@yahoo.com.
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