Lu Yi Discipline: Performing Arts
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EDUCATOR GUIDE Subject: Lu Yi Discipline: Performing Arts SECTION I - OVERVIEW ......................................................................................................................2 EPISODE THEME SUBJECT CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS OBJECTIVE STORY SYNOPSIS INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES EQUIPMENT NEEDED MATERIALS NEEDED INTELLIGENCES ADDRESSED SECTION II – CONTENT/CONTEXT ..................................................................................................3 CONTENT OVERVIEW THE BIG PICTURE RESOURCES – TEXTS RESOURCES – WEB SITES VIDEO RESOURCES BAY AREA FIELD TRIPS SECTION III – VOCABULARY.............................................................................................................5 SECTION IV – ENGAGING WITH SPARK .........................................................................................6 Still image from SPARK story, 2006. SPARK Educator Guide – Lu Yi and The Circus Center 1 SECTION I - OVERVIEW • Teacher‐guided instruction, including SUBJECT demonstration and guidance Lu Yi and The Circus Center • Hands‐on individual projects in which students work independently GRADE RANGES • Hands‐on group projects in which students K‐12 & Post‐secondary assist and support one another • Critical reflection on personal expressions and CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS how they are seen and received by others Visual Arts & Language Arts INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVE • To introduce students to Chinese Circus Arts and • Understand the development of personal works San Francisco’s Circus Center of art and their relationship to broader social • To provide context for the understanding of the themes and ideas, abstract concepts, and the origins of Chinese acrobatics and circus arts history of art. • To inspire students to study China’s history, and • Develop visual, written, listening and speaking explore how circuses differ across cultures skills through looking at, creating and talking about visual artworks. EQUIPMENT NEEDED • Develop an expressive visual vocabulary with Spark story about Lu Yi and the Circus Center on VHS which to address personal and/or social themes or DVD, or a computer with Internet access, streaming and ideas. capability, navigation software, video projector, and • Develop observational and representational speakers. Alternatively, the video can be downloaded skills by looking at and reproducing images of for free from iTunes by searching for KQED‐Spark in people, places and things accurately and the iTunes store. Once downloaded, no internet thoughtfully. connection is needed to play the video in your classroom. For help with iTunes, email us at STORY SYNOPSIS [email protected] Lu Yi is transplanting the centuries‐old art of MATERIALS NEEDED Chinese Circus to the Bay Area. Since the early • Access to libraries with up‐to‐date collections of 1990s, the former star performer and artistic director periodicals, books, and research papers of the world‐renowned Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe • Pencils, pens, and paper has turned the Circus Center into the most comprehensive Chinese acrobatics program outside INTELLIGENCES ADDRESSED of China. Spark checks in on Lu Yi as two of his Bodily‐Kinesthetic ‐ control of oneʹs own body, control American protégés, Olga Kosova and Philip in handling objects Rosenberg, share their professional debut in the Interpersonal ‐ awareness of othersʹ feelings, emotions, Pickle Circusʹs ʺThe Birdhouse Factory.ʺ goals, motivations Intrapersonal ‐ awareness of oneʹs own feelings, INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES emotions, goals, motivations • Group oral discussion, review and analysis, Spatial ‐ ability to manipulate and create mental images including peer review and aesthetic valuing as a in order to solve problems group See more information on Multiple Intelligences at SPARK Educator Guide – Lu Yi and The Circus Center www.kqed.org/spark/education2 . SECTION II – CONTENT/CONTEXT CONTENT OVERVIEW Parkman and Judy Finelli. Lu Yi became a trainer and Lu Yi is transplanting the centuries‐old art of Chinese artistic director of the school in 1990 and established Circus to the Bay Area. Since the early 1990s, the the San Francisco Circus in 1996 to give his students former performer and artistic director of the world‐ performing opportunities. The school changed its renowned Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe has turned the name in 2001 to the Circus Center, which now Circus Center into the most comprehensive Chinese encompasses the San Francisco School of Circus Arts, acrobatics program outside of China. Spark checks in the New Pickle Circus and the San Francisco Youth on Lu Yi as two of his American protégés, Olga Circus. The Circus Center is the only school outside Kosova and Philip Rosenberg, share their of China that specializes in Chinese acrobatics. professional debut in the Pickle Circusʹs ʺThe Birdhouse Factory.ʺ Lu Yi spent over 30 years with Chinaʹs celebrated Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe, first as a star performer Before coming to America, Lu Yi was well known in then as its Director. He was also Vice President of the China, as both an acrobat and an artistic director, for Chinese Acrobats Association. During his long tenure his whimsical tricks that stunned circus audiences. with the Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe, Lu Yi toured His skills in this traditional art form, however, were internationally and his company was the first not popular with the Communist regime. In 1970, Chinese group to perform in western circus followers of Mao Tse Tungʹs Cultural Revolution productions. He also taught circus arts for Circus Oz ransacked his house and demanded that he give up in Australia. Mr. Lu Yi moved to the United States in his art. When Lu Yi refused, he was locked away, 1990 to become Master Teacher and Artistic Director unable to see family or loved ones for an entire year. at Circus Center. He has judged international circus After the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, Lu Yi competitions in Paris, Monte Carlo, and China. decided to leave China to establish his art in the United States and eventually, he hopes, across the THE BIG PICTURE world. As Lu Yi’s work with his trainees suggests, Chinese Circus has little in common with the western version. Chinese Circus is a far cry from the loud spectacles of It is often referred to as Chinese Varity Arts – a lion tamers and human cannonballs most often spectacle that includes the acrobatic and balancing associated with Western big tops. Chinese acrobats acts that typically incorporate elements of Peking spend a lifetime studying the subtle, even spiritual opera and other traditional story forms. Completely principles of force, balance and agility. Learning the absent from Chinese Variety Arts are the clowns and acrobatic arts is excruciatingly difficult, and Lu Yi animal acts associated with the Western circus. teaches his students to always keep in mind the traditional Chinese saying ʺTraining is bitter.ʺ But The art form is over two thousand years old, finding years of tireless effort have paid off for Lu Yiʹs its origins in the Han Dynasty in the third century students, as their debut is met with resounding BCE when acrobats would entertain the court. The success. The circusʹs careful combination of theater, earliest known reference to this these performances dance and art direction produces an unusual, lyrical was made by the scholar Zhang Heng, whose “Ode performance unlike any other. to the Western Capital” referred to such shows as Old Man Huang of the Eastern Sea,ʺ the ʺDancing Fishing San Francisco School of Circus Arts was founded as a Dragon,ʺ and “Assembly of Immortals” as part of an project of the Pickle Family Circus in 1984 by Wendy elaborate acrobatic show held by Emperor Wu in 108 SPARK Educator Guide – Lu Yi and The Circus Center 3 BCE. Eventually these kinds of performances spread Liang, A. Chinese Acrobatics. Foreign Languages Press, to general audiences. 1981. Vandome, Frederic P., et al. Chinese Variety Art, Tricks were developed from peoples’ everyday Alphascript Publishing, 2010. experiences, and were heavily connected to daily life and work. Many of the props used in acrobatics, Wang, Zhengbao, The Art Chinese Acrobatics, Foreign including bowls, tables, chairs, plates and jars reflect Languages Press, 1982 the quotidian origins of the acts. Acrobatics routines demonstrate a wide range of tone and skill, from silly Yongxue, Sun, Chinese Acrobatics, China Books & to dangerous. Periodicals, December 1981. An array of standard performances has developed RESOURCES – WEB SITES over the course of the art form’s history. “Lion Dancing” is a balancing act where performers, The Circus Center’s site: dressed in lion costumes, execute a series of tricks http://www.circuscenter.org/ while balancing on large, elaborately decorated balls. Other routines involve spring board flying, hoop Wikipedia entry on the Pickle Family Circus: jumping, tightrope walking, fire breathing, martial http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickle_Family_Circus arts, juggling, and contortionism. Wikipedia on Chinese Variety Arts: Chinese Variety Arts became immensely popular in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_circus the 17th Century, and contemporary troupes still dress in the style of that time. With the founding of Website for the Chinese State Circus: the Peopleʹs Republic of China in 1949, Chinese http://www.chinesestatecircus.com/ Variety Arts began enjoying an even greater popularity, with over 120 troupes being established, Wikipedia entry for the Pickle Family Circus: engaging over 12,000 performers. State sponsored