Teaching Chinese Dance through Calligraphy (Complete Lesson Plan and Reflection)

Teaching Chinese Dance through Calligraphy 

Two-hour class / workshop

Teaching Chinese calligraphy:

1. Getting to know the calligraphy “four treasures”
1. grind the ink stone
2. handling the brush: student experiment
1. draw horizontal lines
2. draw vertical lines
3. Learn the basic eight strokes: teacher demonstrate (EXPLAIN THE PROCEDURE AND SHAPE OF EACH STROKE), student imitate
1. dot
1. FIVE STEPS: LIFT, PRESS, LIFT, ROUND IT UP, REVERSE
2. horizontal
3. vertical
4. left falling
5. right falling
6. folding
7. lift
8. hook
4. interpret one stroke using movement
1. dot: a fist, a jump, a fold, on the floor, arm, leg, motion
5. Charade (stroke)
1. each student pick a stroke and perform it in movement, other students guess
6. Character creation
1. student choose to combine strokes to create characters
2. some of them may create real characters!
7. Charade (character)
1. student act out their characters
2. other students can see their characters
3. OR teacher writes out a few characters students created, and then have one student act and others guess

Clean up

A break

Teaching Dance:

8. Watch calligraphy-inspired dance
1. Lines Beyond Form
2. Ink Passion
9. Ribbon Dance
1. a ribbon glued to a wooden stick
2. 1-2-3-4: top right (1), top left (2), bottom right (3), bottom left (4)
3. 5-6-7-8: up (5), down (6), arm swing clockwise (7-8)
4. 1-2-3-4: body turn clockwise (1-3), up (4)
5. 5-6-7-8: zigzag swerve down, knees bent at (4)
6. 1-2-3-4: arm swing counter-clockwise, step left (1-2), lie down on right side of the body (3-4)
7. 5-6-7-8: get up, back to standing
8. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8: improvise
9. 1-2-3-4: facing 45 degrees to the left, front (1), back (2), jump and land with left foot at the front, front (3-4)
10. 5-6-7-8: zigzag swerve to the right  

Reflection:

10. First two reflection questions
1. What did you learn?
2. What do you want to learn more?
11. Group share
12. Third reflection question
1. What moments you felt frustrated / challenged?
2. What moments you felt liberated?
13. Group share

If you have more time, go deeper and have students complete their culminating projects: Student choreography as inspired by Chinese dances.

1. Inspired by Thousand Hand Bodhisattva (千手观音)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaLWj8A7x5E&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcDF6-Q9t1w&feature=youtu.be

2. Inspired by Jasmine Flower (茉莉花)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDhQmZOfyEU&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkQSiVjkoMU&feature=youtu.be

Reflection:

Learning Chinese calligraphy is a mindful work. Teaching too. You cannot rush through something that requires mindfulness and focus. Therefore, although teaching the technicalities of stroke writing takes time, it is the necessary, and the best, way to learn. Slow and steady is the way to go.

The time spent on writing calligraphy may feel long, but it was the required foundation for understanding the dance movement inspired by the calligraphy.

The connection between calligraphy and dance is a connection between art on a flat medium to art in the spatial medium. It is a form of interpretation, a translation that remains faithful to the original yet allows individuality.

Although both calligraphy and dance require much discipline, both are also highly creative. The creativity, however, is built upon the discipline. Without working on the foundational techniques, creations will miss the point. Without creativity, it is droll imitation. Both discipline and creativity live symbiotically to make possible the aesthetic whole.

2014 Chinese Class Project Work

These project work are completed by students from Grade 7-11. Aren't they adorable for capturing the essence of Chinese culture?


1. Modern ink art:

This student took Chinese ink art elements and combined it with modern (political) American art. A bald eagle perched atop a giant rock looked into the rugged horizon of, perhaps American west (?), where giant words emerged that said, mei guo, am i free?

2. Chinese New Year lion head:

This student started from scratch to make this lion head. He experimented with several different materials for making the frame of heads, failed a few times, and finally got the frame made with chicken wire.

He then covered that frame with paper mache. While he was doing it, according to his mother and sister, he was covered with paper dust like a carpenter.

The paint on the lion's face is industry paint.

The jaw of the lion can open!

The size, make, motif and color of this lion is compatible to a commercial one for a lion dance troop. Everyone is impressed as it really looks like a manufactured lion head from a Chinatown store!

3. Calligraphy:

What is amazing about these two calligraphy work is not only that you can see the nascent structure of the characters emerging in these two works, not only that the student knows how to go from right to left, and from top to bottom, not only that he knows to sign his name in a smaller font in the mid-bottom on the left side of the scroll.

What is amazing about this project is that the student, who is of French heritage, compared Chinese calligraphy with French calligraphy, and found that both Chinese and French people take great care and pride in producing beautiful calligraphy and value calligraphy as a cultural heritage.

 4. Calligraphy scroll:

Because I myself is a calligraphy and Chinese painting practitioner, I have a soft spot for students who finds a love for these arts.

This project impressed me for many reasons. First, the student took the initiative to learn calligraphy from a mother of his friend's. The process of calligraphy making speaks for the quality of the work itself.

Second, he truly grasps the essence of Chinese art by pairing a quintessential Chinese poem with characteristic Chinese motif with an accompanying Chinese landscape painting. The proportion of the landscape versus people, the bony look of the mountain ridges, the position of the river at the two thirds height of the painting all look deliberately artistic. He even used some sliding-brush technique in his painting to produce the watery, hazy effect of the clouds. Very intentional student indeed.

Third, nascent aesthetic attention is paid to strokes in his calligraphy work: when to stop, when to stress, when to elongate, when to curve - he seems to start to get the idea of the subtle manipulation of the brush to produce deliberated outcomes.

Furthermore, he framed his work on two scrolls himself (with some help from his mother)! The presentation speaks for his faith and joy in his art. What a delightful project work!


5. Model of a Suzhou garden:

This handsome rendering of Suzhou's Lion Forest Garden is done by careful planning, meticulous attention to details, willingness to work hard, an eye for beauty and a heart for gentleness.

The gravel road is made of tiny pebbles, the wall and bridge of clay, the grass of special grass paper, the water of special gel, the pavilions of bamboo and wood sticks and planks. It is amazing that it looks like a real landscape model displayed in the lobby of an industry building!



And it's not just the specialty materials that enabled this great work, but an understanding of Chinese culture embodied in the Suzhou gardens. By naming her garden "Serene", this student has understood the essence of garden art lies in tranquility and peace. By designing a moon-shaped gate into her delicate garden, she is clearly inspired by Suzhou-style garden aesthetics. By positioning distinctly stylish objects in her garden seemingly randomly - but in fact strategically and purposefully - on both side of a meandering brook, she understands the Daoist philosophy of "the highest order of having no order."








I am amazed by these project work. They remind me how much I love my students. They make me smile every day, and they've made me proud.

American Students' Di Zi Gui (弟子规) appraisal 美国学生的弟子规读后感 #8: Afterword

The day after my students diligently completed the assignment of writing a Di Zi Gui appraisal, I sent this email to them in appreciation of their candid and delightful writings. I also shared my response to the same assignment in reciprocity.

Dear Class,

I read all your appraisals just now. I read quickly, because I was eager to glean your opinions. I will go over them again later and offer my thoughts on your individual reflections, but for now, let me just shout out to you all that I absolutely enjoy and respect your active and critical thinking. My eyes lit up at many extremely interesting observations, comparisons, and personal anecdotes in your reflections. I am very proud of you for being so involved and interactive with this material.

Your reflections inspired me to come up with my own "thesis" for this assignment - truly, I didn't write this beforehand; I'm writing it now as I email you because you have inspired me to do so. The thesis is: The Chinese society bases its social structure primarily on the Confucian values of harmony and morality, while the Western democratic system holds high the principles of individuality and law. While Confucian tradition highly emphasizes harmonious relationships between all people - especially among family members - to maintain social stability, Western democratic tradition believes that individual achievement drives social progress. These different emphases on stability and harmony versus progress and creativity are mirrored closely by modern Chinese and American schools and society. Chinese students engage in more collective activities and practices in and outside school, while American students are encouraged to voice their individual opinions and to be unique so they can stand out. American society is much more tolerant than Chinese society of progressive and creative ideas and behaviors ranging from technical innovation to marijuana regulation. In the meantime, Chinese society is much more caring towards the old, who are usually cared by their children rather than by nurses or senior houses, has stronger bonds among relatives and friends that often function like family members, to name two examples. Although the moral force is strong in China, it lacks the sophisticated legal system of modern democracies. Confucian texts were, therefore, followed more "in spirit" than "in letter."

I imagine that a perfect world looks more or less like a combination of both traditions' strengths: a legal framework that protects individual creativity, and strong social morality that harmonizes inter-personal relationships.

I just want to share these thoughts with you after you have generously shared your thoughts with me. Have a good weekend everyone!

American Students' Di Zi Gui (弟子规) appraisal 美国学生的弟子规读后感 #7

Last but not least!

Appraisal #7: 《弟子规》: Creating Better Citizens of the Future

WMQ, 12th grader

            Confucius’ teachings in 《弟子规》 are so insightful that many of his principles are taught to children in our own culture today.  《弟子规》contains many pages of rules for children, and while the sheer amount of his advice alone seems daunting and questionable, Confucius clearly understands that childhood is the key time for development.  People are most receptive to learning and build the majority of their character traits during childhood.  Therefore instilling these rules into children is a practical and productive way to create ethical and productive human beings and citizens.  Teaching children important morals helps them to live by those principles when they are adults.  Thus while his teachings are aimed at children, his ultimate goal seems to be to create better adults in society. 

Confucius advocates for many morals.  He discusses trust, respecting elders, taking care in activities, speaking well, listening to parents while exercising one’s own discretion, among others.  In “入则孝”, Confucius teaches how to treat one’s parents.  At the same time however, he says “亲有过 谏使更”, which shows that although he believes in respecting one’s parents, Confucius also encourages children to judge situations for themselves and use their own moral capacities.  It is satisfying to see how Confucius recognizes that parents are not always right, and that children must sometimes help them to find the right way.  By encouraging children to recognize when their elders are wrong, Confucius is helping to develop children into individuals capable of judging the morality of situations for themselves.  Furthermore, many of Confucius’ teachings in 《弟子规》 can apply to adults as well as children.  Almost all of “谨”，“信”， and what we have read thus far in “泛爱众” teach practices that people should continue to follow in adulthood.  For example, the right way to conduct oneself when borrowing an item, how to speak well, and how to interact with other people and respond to their words.  Thus although 《弟子规》 is meant for children, Confucius is really building principled adults through this poem.

Confucius particularly values respecting elders and being an internally moral person.  While “孝”refers to how both younger and older people should treat each other, Confucius mostly focuses on how youth should treat their elders.  He spends the majority of “入则孝”and “出则弟discussing how to treat parents and approach elders, with only a few lines discussing how to treat younger people.  Thus he clearly believes that knowing how to treat elders is much more important than knowing how to treat younger companions.  While this part of Confucius’ teachings seems to specifically apply to children, it has effects on adults as well.  Learning how to be respectful of elders when one is young helps them to be respectful to peers when they are older.  Furthermore, these rules of conduct help people to identify their social place, which is an important skill for a citizen in society.  Confucius also especially cares about “道”（to know the right way things should be) and “仁”（virtue, morality).   These principles are woven throughout his poem.  His entire poem is about the right way to behave and what makes a virtuous person.  Confucius teaches to be understanding and respectful of others.  He urges people to care less about money and more about family.  He also encourages people to recognize when words are true and good, and when they are false.  Then he hopes that people act according to the good words and not the bad. 

While reading Confucius it is easy to see the similarities between his teachings and those of Jesus Christ that many American Christians teach to youth today.  Similar to Confucius’ “泛爱众”，Jesus teaches us to love even those people that have wronged us.  Jesus encourages people to be respectful and act kindly towards others, while not showing off, just as Confucius does.  Unlike Confucius, however, Jesus does not focus on how to treat elders.  Therefore while many principles similar to Confucius’ in 《弟子规》are instilled into American youth, often times children are not as aware of how to behave toward elders.  In the culture we inhabit in New York, children often call adults by their first names and do not necessarily go out of their way to treat them more respectfully than they treat others.  That being said however, when I visit my grandparents at their lake house during the summer, children act differently toward adults.  We go to a community pot-luck dinner every Wednesday night where children may only serve themselves after all the adults have.  This rule reminds me of Confucius’ “长者先 幼者后”.  Nevertheless, while Confucius’ rule is out of respect for elders, our dinner rule is based on practicality.  Adults once explained to me that children must go after the adults because the children usually take far more than they can eat, which does not leave very much food for the rest of the pot-luck attendees.  Thus we tend to base our cultural rules on practicality rather than morality.  At other times Confucius’ suggestions are impractical.  In our fast-paced society, people do not have time to stop and bow to elders or walk slowly in their presence.  Again, today we base our customs on practicality rather than respect or morality.  Ultimately, 《弟子规》 provides rules that are aimed at creating better adult citizens and are very similar to the rules we are taught as children today.  That being said, our rules seem to be based on their functionality in a situation rather than respect or morality. 

American Students' Di Zi Gui (弟子规) appraisal 美国学生的弟子规读后感 #6

Appraisal #6: 《弟子规》Reflection
XAL, 11th grader

            For the last few months, I have really enjoyed studying Confucian philosophy in《弟子规》. I think that studying these philosophies provides us, as students of Chinese, with a really valuable window into understanding Chinese culture and its history. Confucian principles are the root of many modern Chinese practices, and are largely reflected in Chinese culture (for example, they are reflected in the Chinese emphasis on elders and ancestors). Studying 《弟子规》also allows us to see how Chinese kids are raised, and thus gives us the opportunity to compare this upbringing to our own upbringing as American children. Comparing the two cultures in this way, while enlightening, allows for the possibility of further highlighting their differences. While I think the vast majority of Confucian teachings in 《弟子规》were, in one way or another, reflected in my American upbringing, there are certainly a few points of contention that I find interesting and worth highlighting:

“居有常 业无变”

           Confucius instructs us to maintain a stable, consistent home and career. My issue with this instruction is that I don’t believe stable and consistent are synonymous. I believe one can (and should) experiment with various careers throughout a lifetime, and try to fulfill multiple passions and aspirations rather than limit yourself to just one. This belief actually played a major role in my upbringing through my mother, who is currently on to her second career and hoping to soon begin a third. My mother has demonstrated the ability to realize many dreams while maintaining stability, and although this may ‘defy’ Confucian teaching, I believe this ability makes her all the more praiseworthy.

“财物轻 怨何生”

             Here, Confucius poses a rhetorical question: if you don’t view things superficially and purely for their monetary value, how can grudges be born? Confucius suggests that grudges are primarily centered around objects and money, and can be avoided by maintaining less superficial values. I disagree with this assessment of grudges; although money definitely can cause a lot of problems, many issues between peers run much deeper than a small conflict over an object, and cannot be easily eliminated. I also think Confucius downplays the difficulty of abandoning superficiality: in such a commercial world, it’s nearly impossible for us to not be at least a little money-oriented. I think the message behind this instruction is a nice and reasonable message, although it is not necessarily accurate and in practice is not always realistic.

            These are just two examples of slight deviations from my own upbringing. Though I do find these points of contention very interesting, I find it even more remarkable that the majority of Confucian teachings actually do mirror my culture. Though there are differences (that vary in significance), our cultures are more similar than I ever realized, especially in the way we are taught to respect our parents, our peers, and ourselves. I am proud to be learning Confucian teachings because I believe I am developing a more comprehensive view of not only Chinese culture, but the link between Chinese culture and my own.