By Shy Hardiman
Traditional music met modern dance at the MU International Showcase on Saturday night. About 70 people filed into Jesse Auditorium to watch performances such as a choreographed piece by Dream Catchers, an Asian dance group.
“The goal for me to organize this dance group is to let more people enjoy dancing, music and just to have fun,” says Kun Wang, president of the organization.
Wang has been preparing for the showcase for more than a month. He and the other dancers are all from China, minus Patrick Handranto who is from Indonesia. The group was founded two years ago and started at only 13 members. It has since expanded to about 30 people.
At Saturday’s show, the group took the stage to display a mix of hip-hop and break dancing to the sounds of American pop artists such as Bruno Mars, old school R&B, and more contemporary Chinese rap. A resounding applause could be heard throughout the theater when the group ended their performance.
“I think tonight was one of our best performances,” says Handranto. He credits the night’s success to the group’s consistent practicing and hopes that after seeing their show, more people will be interested in the Dream Catchers.
In addition to the Dream Catchers presentation, audience members also got to watch scholars from the Confucius Institute do traditional Chinese choreography such as the blue and white porcelain dance, listen to customary Indian sitar music and see many other performances by international organizations at MU.
“After this, we will go on to dance more, and we will accept anyone who wants to dance,” Wang says. “I’m so moved that a lot of our members took the time to practice this showcase. I feel very awesome right now.”
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