Rihanna is not the only artist to bring umbrellas into her work and completely mesmerize the audience.
Rihanna might have hit number one by singing about umbrella, ella, ella, eh. Sorry could not stop the ella’s from coming. Yet, it was a dance group that incorporated umbrellas and blew their audience away with their creativity. There is a new umbrella art piece and it is just as amazing!
They will strike such delicate poses.
Say hello to the young ladies of Missouri State University. Influenced by Asian fusion, these girls selected an oriental theme using colorful Chinese umbrellas.
Dressed in black to really make the umbrella colors pop, they assemble by fours onstage and as the music starts playing, they begin unfurling their umbrellas in sequences according to the melody.
The slow opening and closing of colors make for an amazing sight.
The dancers look like beautiful blossoming flowers in the Spring. They begin by alternating sequence of opening and closing their umbrellas. It is truly eye catching!
The dazzling display of colors bring the stage to life. The ladies begin twirling their colorful props as the ones on top start swaying their umbrellas. They proceed from top to bottom, echoing their teammates moves.
As they begin to stand and fan out, the umbrellas start to create an optical illusion of growing in size with the group’s movements.
Traditional Chinese umbrellas can be traced all the way to the Han dynasty!
The music is a mix of oriental instruments and modern beats. The Asian strings twanging to a slow rhythm carried along by a hip hop beat makes for an interesting piece. This art piece is truly mixing the modern and classic styles together seamlessly.
The dance transitions from a slow Asian step to a very light ballet. Basic steps and spins add to the effect of the umbrellas as the dancers in black use the full effect of the colors. It’s simple but very creative. The audience seems captivated by what they’re seeing.
Chinese umbrellas are collapsible as they are believed to have been made with articulated joints for the chariot of an ancient Chinese Emperor named Wang Mang. A collapsible umbrella was excavated at the burial site of Wang Mang’s son, Wang Guang.
Carbon dating suggests this piece of history came all the way back from the 6th century BCE. They require great skill to make as each individual part requires perfect fit and assembly to create the finished product.
These umbrellas are intricate works of art and are very much a part of China’s culture and history.
The Emperor’s new groove perhaps
The performance is under two minutes long. Their performance goes by quickly because it is hard not to become enraptured with the many creative ways they used the umbrellas. The all black outfits worked well for the stage visuals from start to finish. They fall in together forming a small ball, folding into each other while using the umbrellas as covers for their formation.
What’s life without colors?
The tempo slows as the ladies remain in their little ball. The umbrellas begin opening and closing once more perhaps signifying that all endings can be beautiful as well.
You can hear the whooping and cheering from the crowd as they approve of the performance. Nothing like a little fusion of classic and modern. The patterns and drawings vary on each umbrella. From solid colors, to flowers, animals, landscapes, and so on, these umbrellas can be made and designed according to the owner’s taste.
Click on the video below and enjoy this wonderful dance.
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Source: YouTube, Chinahighlights
