Chinese Dance teacehr and students find joy in traditional dance.
Lily Zhang Li Taylor of the Zhang Li Dance Academy believes she has a gift that she must impart with others, especially children. She not only inspires dance, but also wants children to have a cultural appreciation. Taylor has taught dance at the Confucius Institute at the University of Kansas and at the Silk Road Academy. Her dance classes are open to some of the youngest children to advanced students who have a chance to learn solos.
Whether the children are budding performers or seasoned veterans, Taylor enjoys the opportunity to share what they have learned as part of the Chinese New Year celebration at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. This year, the performance is Jan. 28 from noon-1: 30 p.m. in the Atkins Auditorium. Taylor says she and her students treasure the chance to perform annually at the museum. She started dancing at the museum nine years ago and when she started teaching dance in 2005, Taylor knew she wanted to take her pupils to the museum too. The coming Chinese New Year is the start of the Year of the Dragon.
“The Nelson allows the community to see what China means to us. It is a chance to share our culture and customs,” she says. “It becomes a joy to see all the art that is part of the Chinese culture. I have painted for about 20 years and it becomes an extension of my dance life. Four years ago, I started dancing and painting at the same time.” Her bamboo paintings are painted during the time she dances a song.
Originally from Beijing, Taylor won the National First Prize of Performance for playing the lead character in Raining Flowers on the Silk Road, a two-hour dance drama. The production was also nominated for several awards similar to the Oscar or Tony awards. She was a member of the Chinese Dancers Association and the lead female dancer for the largest troupe in China, with more than 400 members. During her last few years in China, Taylor toured the world as part of a cultural exchange.
Taylor studied many dance techniques in China, starting from an early age learning traditional dance in a dance troupe. She was also taught many styles of ethnic dances over the years and has even studied ballet. She developed many dances combining her knowledge in all of the approaches she has acquired, including those from the many dynasty periods in Chinese history. She has also created several solo dances based on those.
Her first home in the United States was Seattle, Wash. “I came to Kansas City 10 years ago and I realized that there was a need for kids to learn about Chinese culture and dance,” she says. “I knew I wanted to share my God-given talents. I wanted children to know music and dance. Some of my dancers start around age 3. I am serious about them and about teaching. I share all the positives of dance … building confidence, creating a healthy lifestyle, looking strong with muscles in their legs and back.”
While children learn dance, Taylor also teaches some language, but any child who takes a dance class learns about love. “I love them first. It is how I reach them. I learn as much from my students as they learn from me.” Children who dance with Taylor learn many styles including ribbon, umbrella and fan. “The various styles keep kids interested in dance.” She offers a certain tough love and pushes her students to excel. They perform at public schools, retirement centers, the Kansas City Ethnic Festival, and the Dragon Boat Festival.
Even Taylor expresses the desire to keep that artistic eye each and every day. “Art is everywhere when one looks around. When I dance, I tap into expression, my heart and my brain. There is not only dance knowledge but art knowledge.” Taylor teaches children on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Merriam, Kan. and Lee’s Summit, Mo. The dance students at the Gamber Center in Lee’s Summit are adopted children, mostly from China.
Keziah Wade, 9, a second-grader, dances for Taylor. Her mother Lara brings Keziah and her little sister, Hadassah, to Saturday dance classes. “I get to do pretty dances and see my friends, plus I meet new friends,” Keziah says. “My favorite dance is the tambourine dance. It’s pretty.”
Taylor receives support from the mothers. Peggy George and Susan Davis both have daughters who dance for Taylor. Taegan George and Erin Davis, both 6, have been dancing for about two years. “I know the girls are having fun while learning about their culture,” George says. Davis says adopted families and their children have created a sort of subset of friends. “It’s become their connection,” she says. “Lily is a role model; she touches their hearts.”
Another mother, Grace Stockmeyer, has two daughters dancing — Morgan, 4 and Lauren, 6. “We are a family now. We want our kids to have the culture and some language. This is a social network too. We want Lily to be a disciplinarian and role model. She’s a huge blessing. The kid loves her and she loves them. As parents we are so grateful. There is not a Lily in every big city.”
