One of the Chinese Culture Talk lectures on Chinese dance, held on Nov 26 at the arena theatre in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

A lecture on Chinese dance was held on Nov 26 at the arena theatre in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina.

Given by Shen Chen, chief director of the musical theater production 12 Chinese Zodiac, the lecture explained how Chinese dance shapes Chinese culture.

Argentine writer Ludovica, author of the book My China, was invited to join a conversation with Shen Chen to talk about Chinese dance and the culture of the zodiac from the perspective of an Argentinean.

The production 12 Chinese Zodiac focuses on Chinese stories, dances, and traditional Chinese culture. It integrates the unique Chinese cultural symbol of 12 zodiac signs and implies a 12-year cycle of recurrence, thereby interpreting the grand theme of "time and life" embodied in it.

Starting from one chapter of the 12 Chinese Zodiac, Shen Chen talked about the history of the traditional Chinese dance, and then analyzed the performing styles of horses in different countries. He then talked about the artistic conception of traditional Chinese dance and compared artistic expression in eastern and western countries.

In order to give the audience an intuitive sense of the beauty of traditional Chinese dance, actors from 12 Chinese Zodiac were invited to the lecture to demonstrate the dancing postures for imitating different zodiac animals in different countries’ dance.

A dancer shows the posture of a riding horse in traditional Chinese dance. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

Local fans of Chinese culture participated in the lecture, along with a number of foreign officials in Argentina, including Yang Chuanying, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Argentina; Teresa Anchorena, chairwoman of the Argentine National Heritage Protection Committee; local cultural department officials, and the Italian Ambassador to Argentina.

The event was held by the Bureau of Communication and Cooperation of Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and organized by the China Arts and Entertainment Group. It belongs to the Chinese Culture Talk event, a series of lectures on Chinese philosophy, religion, literature, cuisine, medicine and other traditional culture-related subjects.

This is the first time that the Chinese Culture Talk was held in Argentina. It enabled local people to understand the traditional Chinese dance art and the zodiac culture.

Argentine writer Ludovica, author of the book My China, talks about the culture of the zodiac from the perspective of an Argentinean. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]