Junior Ellen Jiang has practiced Chinese dance and ballet since elementary school. Although she quit in her middle school years, she decided to rejoin after the COVID-19 pandemic, and when her dance teacher was inviting back former students to the studio. 

“I really like the Chinese traditional dance style,” Jiang said. “My teacher likes to infuse ballet into Chinese dance as well; it keeps the flowy and smooth elements of Chinese traditional dance while incorporating some ballet techniques.”

But Jiang is unique in that she is one of the only few young people continuing the tradition. Although many in the community participate in Chinese Cultural dancing, according to Statista, in 2021 more than 30% of the public square dancers in China were above the age of 46. With the age group of 19 to 26, only representing 8% of performers. 

Junior Lina Liu, who also participates in Chinese dancing, she said, believes dancing helps keep her heritage alive,

“I think doing this teaches me more about my heritage and traditions within my culture. It also allows me to share my culture and experiences through dance, which I’m grateful for,” she said. 

Tungfen Lee National Chinese Honors Society (NCHS) sponsor and Chinese teacher states that events help keep Chinese culture alive as well among younger generations.

“We host Chinese New Year events at the Carmel Clay Public Library and invite people in the community to celebrate. All students and family are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the cultural events sponsored by NCHS,” she said via email.

 Liu said that it is easy for someone to become involved in Chinese cultural dancing, 

“I’d say to just start going to a beginner class and learning the basics. The most important thing is being consistent and practicing a lot,” she said.

Jiang also recommends several ways to get involved in the local Chinese dancing community.

“I recommend starting to attend classes with a local Chinese performing arts organization, such as the Sunshine Dance Group, Indianapolis Chinese Performing Arts Inc. (ICPAI), and subgroups of Indianapolis Chinese Community Center Inc. (ICCCI),” she said.

As for why she believes Chinese dancing should be preserved, 

“Overall it gives people an opportunity to learn about the Chinese culture in the dance and it is a good way of expressing one’s culture.”