Dear Steemit friends:
It's hard to believe that my last dance with me post was over 9 months ago. Suffice to say, dance with me #2 is long long overdue. Many of you who followed me since my last dance post probably assume I'm a big foodie with a travel bug (and you're not wrong at all!), but when i'm not travelling, one of my favourite activities is dancing. Although not a professional, I've been learning various styles of dance since I was old enough to walk. The styles I've learnt include Ballet, Chinese Folk and more recently Jazz, Hip-Hop, LA, Afro, and Urban.
Today, i'm tackling a Traditional Chinese dance. The movements are inspired by a Xianxia novel called Eternal Love and was recently made into both a TV series and feature length movie. The Xianxia style actually comes from the more popular variant of martial arts novels and movies called Wuxia quite literally meaning "Martial Arts Heroes". The Xianxia variant has greater emphasis on elements of fantasy, including demons, ghosts, heavens, underworld, tying together elements of martial arts story telling with classical Chinese mythology. Whilst Wuxia focuses on Martial arts and less magic and fantasy.
The song I've chosen as the backing to my dance is called Chilly. It is one of the theme songs to the drama and very popular outright in the past year. Sung by Zhang Bichen and Aska Yang, the duet resonates the theme of the novel where two lovers are physically separated, not knowing when they can be together again and despite this dire situation, stay faithful to their "Eternal Love" for each other. The song name, "Chilly", is a metaphorical description of their state of mind as they struggle with being separated, experiencing the chillness of being lonely.
Trying to stay true to the traditional Chinese theme, I spent sometime picking out the right outfit(s) for the dance, and even procured a set of sleeved opera fans for full effect.
I made the trousers more baggy by cutting the sides of them all the way up to the waist. This way, they will drift in the air as I move around. The free flowing fabric will give a much more dreamier effect!
Spot the Steem logo!
Below are some of the moves used in the dance. I practice each of the moves separately many times over before attempting them all at once. It's also quite important to warm the body up with the extremity of some of the moves. Even with such a relaxing form of dance, injuries can still happen!
Presenting my dance cover of "Chilly" from "Eternal Love"
Hope you all enjoyed the dance video, and hopefully the next one won't be another 9 months from now. In any case, I really appreciate your vote if you liked the dance, a follow to stay up to date with my activities, and leave a comment let me know what you thought of it!
亲爱的朋友们，距离上一次的舞蹈视频已经过去了足足9个月的时间，今天终于有机会和大家分享一个我精心编排的古典舞——《凉凉》。熟悉我的朋友知道，一直以来我都是个狂热的舞蹈爱好者，其实这九个月以来，我一刻也没有离开过舞蹈。过去一段时间，我感到自己在舞蹈上缺少一些激情，所以下决心来到一个外国舞团，学习了Jazz，Hip-Hop，LA甚至还有来自非洲的舞蹈Afro，在经历一段时间的训练下来，我重新找回了舞蹈中孕育的原生态美感，还有心中那股纯粹的冲动与激情。同时在释放天性，充满表现力的舞步之中，我也增强了舞蹈动作里的节奏与力量之美。自上一次跳过韩舞之后，我决心挑战一下完全不同的舞种，那就是中国博大精深的文化精粹，古典舞。
想必大家都对前一段时间，席卷五湖四海的仙侠小说《三生三世十里桃花》记忆犹新，我也被这一阵古风吹得有些爱上了绝美的仙恋故事，一系列的古装玄幻仙侠电影和电视剧吸引了我的注意力，而片尾曲《凉凉》更是走进了我的心。那时候我就下决心要舞一段这优美动人的旋律。舞蹈的编排动作要由心而生，所以我先花了一段时间研究歌曲里的歌词和旋律，发现这歌词里正是讲述了原著小说里的主人公，白浅和夜华所经历的那些让人心凉的劫难，好在最后的最后，是一个圆满的温暖结局。所以这段舞中的动作，优美又带着种无力感，微弱的愁绪划过指尖，满载了对命运的失意感，困苦而惆怅的内心通过舞蹈动作抒发感情，不过依旧心怀那小小的希望与寄托，还是终究等来了风雨之后绚丽的彩虹。
在道具方面，我选择了古典的扇子，这是汉族传统的舞蹈道具，因为我觉得优美柔和的扇子更能体现梦幻的神仙故事。在设计舞蹈服装上，我选择了带有通透飘逸感的汉服和宋裤，没想到收到之后与我原本的想象还是有些偏差，所以在录影之前，我果断选择把衣服剪裁修改一下，三层较厚材料的宋裤最终在我的剪刀下有了仙人般的飘逸感，我欣喜极了。在准备好事先做好的灯牌，租好场地之后，就要开始随音乐舞动了。在舞蹈中，我很投入，想象自己是处处不如意的白浅上仙，在历经磨难之后，困难终于被我执着追求美好的夙愿所打败。虽然录影之前摔伤了尾骨，但是在那一刻，我好像忘记了一跳一跃之中所带来的伤痛感，最终把一场较为满意的艺术作品呈现在大家面前。希望大家喜欢我这次的舞蹈，祝大家度过一个愉快的周末，也预祝大家圣诞节快乐。
amazing dance ;)
哇咔咔
甜心妹妹真会玩：）
哇咔咔，下次想跟O哥一起玩呢^^
I am very impressed! You certainly could be a professional dancer if you wanted to put the time into it.
Choices must be made. The problem with a career in dance is that it is usually so short, and when over you are left with something of a void if you have not had the time and inclination to pursue other activities. I think that your choices and balance have been wise.
Much respect from@onceuponatime!
onceuponatime! I actually thought of you when I decided to do this dance.
I would be devastated if I committed to dancing only to succumb to injury or accelerated wear and tear and then spend the large part of the rest of my life wondering what to do. I do wonder how dancers cope with this and what life after being a dancer really is like?
If i recall correctly, you had a lot of contact with professional dancers right?
你太厉害了！全才啊！
感谢夸奖啦: )
gorgeous . simply gorgeous
I managed a Chinese dance school/company for a while, many years ago. My ex lover, who was born in Hong Kong and lives in Beijing, was one of the top classical Chinese dancers of her time. She went on to study Dance Movement Therapy and Psychology in the US for her career after dance.
So there is a viable route after dance after all! I haven't heard the word lover in a while, but it sounded like a passionate time with a very talented lady!
I hope that Miss Opinionated could have some views on it some day!
right............
You'r Dancers the qualified.
6 mount Ago !! Amazing .. very useful post, inspired, @sweetsssj whether I can translate into Indonesian to share with my friends who want a career in steemit "https://steemit.com/steemit/@sweetsssj/sweetsssj-s-tips-to-successful-lifestyle-blogging-on-steemit"
That is fantastic and magical!
Happy Birthday every year and you are fine and ask you a gift by the way .... Thank you
OMG amazing split! I just made a post about a Bitcoin Survey that was released, check it out 😊 https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@coincado/1-in-7-people-think-bitcoin-is-a-board-game
thanks good informane share
I agree with you. Nice 'Xianxia' style folk dance photos. sweetssj superb dance. I like the photos, gifs, and video.
This is sooo good to see you dancing for the first time @sweetssj thank you for the wonderful post.
Very beautiful dancing.
Thanks for sharing this traditional dance, I especially liked the part with the fans.
Great job!
你摔傷了還為大家舞蹈，真是太敬業了！有沒有好一些呢？要好好照顧自己，不要太勉強喔～
你跳的舞真是美，像仙女一般。哈哈！原諒我用這麼普通的字眼，實在是驚訝到不知如何形容了。
這麼有才華的你，我很好奇，下次你還要為我們展現什麼才華呢？（睜著小粉絲的大大眼睛認真的期待中～）
谢谢可爱的猫女郎贴心的问候呀，现在好多了，贴了膏药，哈哈，看到你们很喜欢我跳舞，我开心还来不及呢，完全忘记疼痛^^
甜心跳得太美了！好仙！我也喜欢古典舞。
感谢你的喜欢，是对我最大的鼓励啦^^
有味道，十分柔軟，有功夫底子，動作跟音樂很配。厲害!
谢谢你啦，点评的好专业呀^^
妳跳的專業。我以前也常跳舞，雖然跳的style跟妳不同 (我是跳搖擺舞Swing dance以及踢踏舞 tap dance)，但基本道理相似。
仙气飘飘 好强 自己编排不说 还自己剪裁衣服 哈哈 有人注意到门外那个小男孩吗 一副看呆的样子 太有喜感了 😄
感谢这么高的评价啦，你观察好仔细呀，那小男孩表情很可爱，所以我就把有他的片段也剪进去啦^^
甜心妹妹真是多才多艺啊！
谢谢亲爱的rea姐姐^^
Impressive dance 👏🏻, loved the traditional 扇子舞; you must have practised for many hours just to perform a few minutes of this video. Keep it up @sweetsssj
Looking forward to your next dance video 😁
Hello from Russia! :) I'm totally shocked by your beauty, your plasticity and a whole dance. I'm rarely catched by a video of dancing, but I watched your video till the end and just sat in admiration for a few more minutes after it ended. I see that you have been working on this dance for a long time and I want to say that your work were not in vain! Thank you very much for the wonderful dance and wonderful music, I got great pleasure!
好棒好棒，很美很仙，非常用心的编舞。这首曲子选的也很好，一直是我很喜欢的曲子。如果将来你能给“大鱼”这首歌曲也编排一个舞蹈就好了，这首歌也很适合古典舞。
也谢谢你这么用心的留言，你们喜欢是对我最大的鼓励啦。
我会去听听这首歌，希望下次再能编个舞^^
哇塞塞 比大幂幂更加仙气飘飘呀~~~
哇，太高的评价了，快受不住了，还是大幂幂最有仙侠气啦^^
Thanks for the performance. It was like the meditation because dance is so harmonious with music. I hope to see more posts like this :)
Very well done, my friend!!!! I remember watching a dance much like this at the Chinese culture center in San Francisco a few months ago. We, the visitors, were invited to take part, and while it seemed easy, it was far from it.
I noticed one big gap in your dancing that I would encourage you to try--Latin Americans dances especially tango. There are meet up dances for those who travel all over the world.
My favorite type of dancing is the salsa, by the way. I have danced this for a very long time, and have it in most of my novels.
Keep up the great work, my friend, as you dance through life and take in all the world as to offer.
Sir John
great post as always .. thanks
right say you....great post
Great post, dance is so beautiful!
thanks natebelt83!
It's great to think that you can do 'just about anything' during your free time. A little bit of everything (dancing, traveling, singing, etc.) is not too bad. But then, I hear some fellows saying that we should have a specialization or something to focus on in the long term. I wonder what others think.
Not sure what you mean but happy to hear you elaborate :)
Superb...You are really multi talented...Always great to view your Blogs....
this is very beautiful -i really liked how the "flags" were used - wish i understood the words - the whole thing the dance the songs - it just looks and sounds so beautiful so romantic - thanks for showing us your dance
YOU'RE AMAZING!!! You always find a way to impress your followers and leave them open-mouthed! You are a great example of inspiration for everyone.
Yeah she is the best!
stea90! you're tooo kind thank you!
This is really nice and Impressive.
I find the Xianxia style quite interesting as a form of art, though I'm a bad dancer I'd still love to try out Xianxia one of these days
most of all it is just really fun, almost like a Chinese style of cosplay getting dress and dance in this style ^^
That'd definitely be a sight to behold.....
wonderful dance moment my sister.resteemed
thank you cryptomaker :D
You have become a gif MASTER! Nice moves sensei.
haha thank you avesa, i've been using them for quite some time, but just had quite a few this time round :)
They are so high quality, but loaded so fast and smooth! Do you use photoshop? Or is it all magic spells and enchantments?
beautiful song.....beautiful dance......awesome dancer..... so adorable as always
sonny.dharmawan, thank you!
Dancing is a very beautiful form of art dance video. Your dance cover is indeed beautiful.
Wow you very talanted, nice!!!
So beautiful.
Wonderful post its amazing thanks for sharing
thanks machhour, thanks for visiting!
Awesome dancing performance!
hms818, thank you!
nice post
thanks!
@sweetsssj - OMG - You can dance too? Very impressive!! The music is haunting but more than that, your movements are just mesmerizing,
I see that you have taken a lot of pain to recreate the traditional outfit. The flowing long sleeved dress and the opera fans definitely add panache to your dance.
You have demonstrated that you can really create a masterpiece of performing art with so much hardwork. I am impressed with the split you have performed in the dance too. My groin and hamstrings hurt just from the thought of doing a spilt! LOL
Thank you for sharing this lovely dance performance and Kudos on your skill. Upvoted full
Your graceful movements and beauty reminded me of a lovely peacock that I wrote about. I request you to take a look. I really pray to god that you continue your graceful and happy movement in life forever.
Regards,
@vm2904
So beautiful @sweetsssj ! I already commented / upped and resteemed on my @karenmckersie account , but I wanted to also do the same here on my @momskitchen blog as a lot of my followers like to also see you and your awesome posts in my blog ! My P.O.P Contest #popcontest is still going great Especially since im paying everyone 100% in steem dollars on Christmas day ! And I want to Thank You for your awesome support on previous contests , which is all for community building and bringing more positive vibes to steemit , So Thanks a Bunch !! 👍💕
Also I just did a post where I made a Zamboni Gingerbread House for Christmas and Steemit LOL Im sure you would love to see this ! If you get a chance heres my link : https://steemit.com/christmas/@momskitchen/my-canadian-zamboni-gingerbread-house-made-just-for-steemit-step-by-step-photos
MERRY CHRISTMAS @sweetsssj ! All the Best in 2018 Its Going to Be the Best Year Ever !!! 🎁🎀🎄🎅🎄🎀🎁🎀🎄🎅
💕🎄Haha ! I Like Lights Too !!💕🎄
@sweetsssj this post was supposed to be on my momskitchen account but but It didn't log me in properly ! sorry about that I didn't mean to have two comments from the same account ! Im getting tired I guess , and will actually be glad when Chrisrmas is done haha ! 💕👍🎁🎀🎄🎅
🎄🎀🎅 Oh wow this is so awesome @sweetsssj ! You are not only the best food and travel blogger on Steemit and everywhere else , but also a Beautiful Dancer With a awesome presentation as well ! The music you chose was wonderful and a reall heart warming love story told in dance , I loved it !! You always seen to surprise me every time you post something ! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome talent with us all for Christmas ! Hope you don't wait so long until next time !
Im just catching your post now as I have been so busy Christmas shopping , I barely just got a chance to update my #popcontest even that will be paying out on Christmas Day !! But im so glad I caught your post now !! Merry Christmas @sweetsssj ! Upped and Resteemed 🎀🎄🎅
Wow this is solo amazing @sweetssj it's amazing to see you dancing for the first time....I loved it thank you sooo much for sharing and you are always beautiful in any outfit you are my favourite:)
Your posts are always breathtakingly awesome. I really am a fan of urs.
somehow these days we get to know more about the sweet lady of steemit :)
hey pennystockhelp, almost more to share, stay tuned for 2018! :)
Wow, amazing job and truly breath taking! I had no idea that you were able to dance so well. I am very impressed to say the least :)
wow, im very impress on your wonderful and very beautiful dance @sweetsssj..
i love this photo..
you look so mysterious on your photo..
the lights and the background is fantastic
Upvoted and resteem your post.
thanks mrblu, perfect picture choosing as usual!
it's because i love the way you do...your such a beautiful person..and very humble , thats why i like you so much..
I had a feeling as if I was dancing along with you.Heavenly
ahha the 'with me' series is really making people join along !
Muy interesante la cultura de tu país, realmente esta llena de sorpresas, espero un día poder ir y así mirar con mis propios ojos ese espectáculo gracias por compartir
Wow! I don't even remember your first dance. You even have the Sweetsssj light board! Very cool!
haha it was such a long time ago.. but it's impractical for me to do these regularly because i'm always travelling !
hi Dear,
this is my 1st time to see you dance...your moves is very awesome.. i like the way you dance..
Upvoted and resteem your post..
Hope you will visit on my page if you have time..its my pleasure to follow you and support your post..
I would love to follow you for your efforts and quality of work, but I'm disappointed to see your constant heavy self-voting, when it's completely unnecessary. It ruins the post for me personally by setting the wrong tone.
Everyone knows that it doesn't reflect well on reputation, but I'm most bothered that it's a bad example for other Steemians given your high visibility. Leading by example is something I appreciate most with the leaders at the top of Steemit's feeds for marketing and demonstration of best practice.
In your position of delegated power, I'd hope that using the delegation gift would be primarily for awarding people for their content/engagement, not selling votes or using it on yourself. :(
@sweetsssj what a graceful dance,beautifully executed!
I love you @swetsssj ... I deliberately painted your picture, a sign I always miss you.
nice
You are the best Miss of steemit in the world. Your post can be Motivate to other steemians
agrojaya, thank you, hopefully we can all be happy and celebrate a fantastic end to the year
Thank you very much, who would help someone new in steemit. I keep abreast of your posts. and always I resteem. may be this is a good step for me in learning steemit.