Explore traditional Chinese art through dance

Engage with Chinese traditional arts in a completely new way! This unique series of three dance workshops, part of a University of Leeds PhD research project, will cover poetry, calligraphy and painting in an intensive three-day programme. 

The research project is about Kunqu (Chinese opera) and its relationship to landscape aesthetic arts (painting, calligraphy, poetry), considering the modern-day value of this interplay from an intercultural perspective. 

Led by dance teacher and postgraduate researcher Xueting Luo, each workshop will use dance to explore and illustrate aspects of an art form. You will learn about Chinese dance alongside key concepts such as imagery, abstract lines and textures, and perspective. Lose yourself in the moment and experience the body-mind-nature connection.  

Each workshop will last 3 hours (with a 20-minute break) and consist of three stages: 

• An introduction to basic artistic concepts and movement principles 
• Expressive dance activities linked to the workshop theme e.g. dancing to a poem 
• Experimentation and improvisation 

The workshop schedule is still to be confirmed, but will be an intensive programme of three sessions held towards the end of March or in early May. Please complete this online form to express your interest. 

There are a maximum of 12 places for each session. Participants must be over 18, ideally with some experience of movement or physical practice. You are welcome to sign up for one or two workshops, but places will first be allocated to participants who can attend all three workshops. 

Due to the cross-cultural nature of this study, it would be desirable that participants come from diverse cultural backgrounds. You will therefore be asked your nationality and this information will be used to ensure a suitable balance of participants.