CulturalFest Countdown: Meet Rae Wong

Only 19 days to go until the CulturalFest Performance Showcase, featuring 10 performing artists & groups who will share cultures from around the world on the Meany Hall stage. Read on to learn more about one of this year’s CulturalFest performers, Rae Wong.

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How did you begin as a performer? Tell us a little bit of your story.

I didn’t enjoy dance in the slightest when I was little. It wasn’t until 8th grade when my dance instructor helped me to fall in love with Chinese folk and classical dance, as well as dance overall. At my dance academy, we would have annual performances for our entire studio and a few performances at festivals and events here and there. Now that I’m in university, I don’t frequent my dance studio anymore. However, I don’t want to give up dance, so I’m constantly searching for opportunities to perform and display my passion!

What do you hope the audience will take away from your performance? What do you hope they will learn about the culture that your performance represents?

I hope the audience will take note of the intricate movements and realize that the quality of Classical Chinese dance movements stem from China’s values, traditions, and rich history.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about your performance?

The solo I’m performing (Divine Lotus) is a Classical Chinese dance, not a Chinese folk dance. Classical Chinese dance is considered the “dance of the palace” and Chinese folk dance (dance styles of the different minority groups within China) is considered “the dance of the people."

Learn more about Rae on Facebook and Instagram, and come see her performance on February 10!