Reflection

The Dai ethnicity, which is an ethnic minority group that originates from southern China, is one of the groups of Chinese people that has the closest relationship with nature in their traditions. Having been learning Chinese traditional folk dancing for ten years, I chose this particular dance style to base my choreography on. Some movements in this dance are typically used to imitate the momentum of the ocean waves, while others express sheer joy for the gifts of nature. The deep respect and affection felt towards nature by the ancient Dai people correlate perfectly with what the artist Marina Zurkow, the Climate Hero I'm highlighting, has been advocating for in her Dear Climate project. In this project, she aims to encourage people's sense of affection towards the climate, and to reject the habitual thinking of nature and culture as opposites. I hope that my dance will not only shine a light on Marina's efforts in tackling climate change, but also introduce to more people the beauty of traditional Dai dancing, thus preventing it from extinction. Moreover, at the end of the dance, I untangle the piece of fishnet - a symbol for the litter polluting the seas - and hold it up high like a flag. I designed this part to show positive hope that the ocean will one day be freed from pollution. Through my exploration of the Dear Climate project, I became more aware of our ancient, complicated, and important relationship with other animal species, plants, and other bio-geo-physical factors as fellow "Earthlings," and wanted to remind my viewers of the same in my dance.