Lakewood Cultural Center presents Yu Wei: Chinese Dance Collection January 23, 2011

Lakewood Cultural Center
presents
Yu Wei: Chinese Dance Collection
Lakewood Cultural Center presents one of China’s premier dancers, Yu Wei, at 2 p.m., Sunday, January 23. Yu Wei: Chinese Dance Collection is a visually stunning multimedia performance of Chinese culture and history through rich cinematography and dance. Tickets are $18 for adults and are available by calling 303-987-7845, online at www.Lakewood.org/CulturalCenter or at the Cultural Center Box Office, 470 S. Allison Parkway (Wadsworth Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue). Senior, student, child and group discounts available. Ample, free on-site parking.
With a cultural richness and unique style, Yu Wei’s dance art is inspired both by nature and the human condition. The program features music from China and the world, original costumes and hair-dressings, professional lighting and sets, and short films shown between the dances that depict the culture and artistic background of both dance and dancer. Yu Wei’s captivating dance visions have been holding American audiences spellbound for over a decade. She has been praised for being a “special artist and a gifted, sensitive dancer” and “a brilliant dance star.” Loved by audiences everywhere, Yu Wei has performed throughout the United States including New York’s Manhattan Center and the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
As a little girl, Yu Wei was selected by the Wuhan Song and Dance Theater Academy to study a broad curriculum of dance based on Chinese classical, traditional, folk dance and ballet. After graduating, she joined the Wuhan Company and soon became its principal dancer. After relocating to Beijing, Yu Wei began her long collaboration with nationally renowned dance master Zhang Ke. She was the lead dancer of the National Ballets "Lijiang River Sentiment" and "Yao Shan Flame." Her Chinese Dance Collection has been performed in all of China's major cities and broadcast on National Century Television.
Coming to America in 2000, the Yu Wei Dance Collection has been selected for the rosters of Philadelphia’s Musicopia and the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (PennPAT). The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Anette John-Hall has written, “Such a beautiful dancer. There are strains of ballet, folk and modern dance throughout her program – she is adept at them all. With her disproportionately long hands that flutter like a bird, Yu Wei’s dancing is all fluidity and grace.” After viewing her performance at the 2004 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, dance critic Merilyn Jackson of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “Yu Wei took everyone’s breath away with her dance ‘Lotus – Burst of Pure Dream.’ Lying on her back with her head to the audience, she depicted how a lotus unfolds. It was pure beauty.”
More information and photos are available at www.yuweidance.org
The Lakewood Cultural Center 2009-2010 Performing Arts Season is generously supported by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), with appreciation to the citizens of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Aura Spa and Wellness Center at the Sheraton Denver West and The Denver Post.