QIAA x China Oriental Performing Arts Group: Poetic Dance Master Workshop Recap
On September 5th, QIAA had the honor of hosting an extraordinary afternoon in the heart of New York City — a master workshop led by three leading artists from China Oriental Performing Arts Group, bringing the acclaimed dance drama Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting (《只此青绿》) directly to our community.
Inspired by A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, the 11-meter Song dynasty landscape scroll painted by 18-year-old prodigy Wang Ximeng, Poetic Dance has become one of the most celebrated works of contemporary Chinese classical dance, with over 650 sold-out performances across China, Singapore, and Turkey. This September, the production made its way to Lincoln Center for a limited three-day run — and for one afternoon, its artists stepped off the main stage and into the studio with us.
Learning the Language of a Landscape
Lead dancer Meng Qingyang opened the class by walking participants through several of the production's most iconic movements and phrases — the same gestures and lines that have come to visually define Poetic Dance on stage. Rather than simply demonstrating choreography, Meng Qingyang broke down the intention and imagery behind each movement, giving participants a rare, hands-on understanding of how the piece translates a painting into a living, breathing form.
A Journey Beyond the Mainstage: Kumala and the World of Chinese Folk Dance
The second half of the class took a different turn, offering something beyond Poetic Dance itself. Dancers Zhang Han and Zhang Junhe co-taught a session centered on Kumala (库玛拉), a beloved piece rooted in Chinese Tibetan dance. Alongside teaching the choreography, the two artists shared insight into the broader world of Chinese ethnic and folk dance — its regional distinctions, its cultural roots, and the physical vocabulary that sets it apart from classical forms. The class closed with a short, breathtaking performance excerpt from the two dancers, offering a glimpse of Tibetan dance in its full expressive power.
Why We Do This
We started QIAA because we believe art moves differently when it moves through a room rather than across a screen. A workshop like this one isn't really about technique — it's about the strange, specific intimacy of being in the same physical space as artists whose work usually reaches you from a distance, and realizing that the gap between "audience" and "practitioner" is a lot thinner than it looks. That kind of exchange — across languages, backgrounds, and traditions — is the whole reason we do this work, and it's what we hope to keep building, one workshop at a time.
Our thanks to China Oriental Performing Arts Group, and to Meng Qingyang, Zhang Han, and Zhang Junhe, for their generosity and openness in sharing their art so directly.
What's Next
This was one afternoon in what we hope is a much longer story. QIAA has more workshops and cross-cultural collaborations on the way, and our dance company is always open to new members through rolling auditions — no experience required.
Follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter to hear about what's next, or reach out if you're interested in collaborating with QIAA.
Comments