Cultural and artistic exchanges

Winter brews time, and the years are fine. In order to expand the school's international cooperation channels, promote international art exchanges, enhance the ability of art teachers, and open up new paths for professional development, recently, Dr. Dong Rongcan, President of the China-US Cultural and Art Exchange Association and a Chinese American, visited our school and gathered with teachers and students in the Steinway Concert Hall to hold a piano salon event called "Using Art to Compose Life".

Dr. Dong Rongcan shared his life experience on the road of music: his family was poor when he was a child, but his dream of music was always buried in his heart. When he saw the piano for the first time as an adult, he was delighted and became the seed of his later musical achievements. He graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1981 and studied under the famous Chinese composer Professor Chen Gang (author of the violin "Butterfly Lovers"). In 1985, he went abroad to study alone and obtained a master's and doctoral degree in music. He was the first Chinese musician to hold a solo concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. On the road of music, he used diligence to exchange for opportunities, and after success, he used love to repay the motherland. From the nursing home in Pudong New Area, to donating to the Wenchuan earthquake, to spreading national music culture, his sincere patriotism deeply touched the teachers and students present.

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Jinshan.com News: On the occasion of the 2023 "June 1" International Children's Day, on the morning of June 1, the "Voice of the River - The Heart Will Go with Love" piano music salon of Chinese American Dr. Dong Rongcan, hosted by Zhenjiang Federation of Overseas Chinese, Zhenjiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Zhenjiang Musicians Association, and US-China Cultural and Art Exchange Association, was unveiled in the activity hall on the second floor of Zhenjiang Bole Piano Store. This is another music feast dedicated to Zhenjiang returned overseas Chinese, their families and compatriots, as well as Zhenjiang music industry bigwigs after the 2022 "Voice of the River" Zhenjiang Overseas Chinese New Year Concert.

It is understood that Dong Rongcan has been engaged in college education, music creation and Sino-US cultural and artistic exchanges for a long time. He has held 12 solo concerts in Shanghai, Sichuan, New York, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and other places. He has written and produced a large number of music works and videos, and has held Sino-US campus cultural interactions many times, building a rainbow of friendship and love for the cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the United States.

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On May 30, Mr. Dong Rongcan, a famous composer, pianist and president of the US-China Cultural and Art Exchange Association, was a guest speaker at the School of Management’s Aesthetic Education Forum, where he talked about his legendary musical life. Nearly 70 teachers and students from the School of Management attended the lecture, which was hosted by Wang Limin, secretary of the School of Management’s Party Committee.

Accompanied by beautiful piano music, Dong Rongcan shared his story of pursuing his musical dream, expressing his longing for his homeland and his unforgettable homesickness. Dong Rongcan combined his personal learning and work experience to introduce his bumpy and wonderful artistic life to everyone, full of deep feelings for his country, gratitude for his parents' upbringing, and gratitude for the guidance and help of his teachers. Dong Rongcan encouraged young students to be full of "belief", "hope" and "love", and hoped that everyone would work hard to reach the other side of their dreams. After the report, Dong Rongcan had a warm interaction with everyone, which triggered the students' thinking and prospects for life and the future.

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The Idaho International Dance and Music Festival, formerly known as the Idaho International Folk Dance Festival, was co-hosted by the Rexburg Chamber of Commerce and Brigham Young University in Idaho in 1985. It has hosted more than 300 teams from around the world and attracted more than 80,000 people each year. It is rated as the sixth largest arts festival in the United States. Every summer, the entire city is mobilized, opening its homes to welcome art troupes from all over the world.

Since its inception, the festival has established a long-term cooperative relationship with the China Federation of Culture and Art Circles (CFLAC). CFLAC has sent more than a dozen groups to participate, including the Shaanxi Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, Shanxi Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, Shenzhen Modern Dance Troupe, Beijing Dance Academy, and China Coal Mine Art Troupe. In 2007, the 20-year contractual relationship between the festival and CFLAC ended, and the festival signed an exclusive partnership with the US-China Cultural and Art Exchange Association.

Time flies, and 15 years have passed in a blink of an eye. The association has invited Gansu Dunhuang Women's Dance Troupe, Ordos Song and Dance Troupe, Shanghai International Studies University Art Troupe, Shanghai Normal University Affiliated High School Wind Orchestra, Shanghai Xuhui Middle School Dance Troupe/String Orchestra, Beijing No. 65 Middle School Jinfan Art Troupe, North China Electric Power University Art Troupe (4 visits), Beijing International Studies University Art Troupe, Capital University of Economics and Business Folk Music Band/Dance Team, Beijing Jiaotong University Dance Troupe, Hangzhou Youth Acrobatic Troupe, etc. to participate in the Idaho International Art Festival. Let the five-star red flag rise again and again at the opening ceremony of the International Art Festival.

In order to expand more cultural and artistic categories to participate in art festival performances, it is now renamed the "Idaho Summer Arts Festival".

The troupe is composed of students with outstanding singing and dancing talents from universities, high schools, middle schools and elementary schools selected from many schools in Utah. They are trained and rehearsed intensively at the prestigious Galaxy Dance School in Utah, and with repertoire and guidance provided by famous choreographers and experts, they are working hard to provide a high-quality and wonderful performance for the Chinese people. The accompanying actors include Andres, the champion of the 2019 "World Dance Competition" who received a full score from the chief judge of American movie star Jennifer Robitz.

Most of our efforts pertaining to this program involve studying new approaches and developing innovative ways to implement them. We evaluate our success in this field by gathering qualitative and quantitative data, and using that information to measure shifts and changes from our baseline measurements.

Opening dance "Active Life" | Where there is life, there is hope

From June 1 to 12, 2018, the American Youth College Students' Visiting Art Troupe went to Shanghai Fengxian Conference Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, Shanghai Business and Foreign Languages ​​Vocational College, North China Electric Power University and other Chinese universities to perform, attracting more than 20,000 teachers and students to watch. The entire performance was broadcast live online with a hit rate of more than 500,000.

The art troupe is mainly composed of nearly 100 members from three units: the world-renowned Brigham Young University delegation, the South American-style Utah Latin Folk Dance Troupe, and the energetic Utah Valley University Street Dance Troupe. With diverse artistic presentations and eclectic performance styles, it presented a gorgeous song and dance feast for Chinese teachers and students.

Chapter 1: DISCOVER | In the eyes of children, life is bright and moving

Among them, "Doorway", modern men and women dance lightly, showing the youthful atmosphere of the contemporary era; "Cape Canaveral", the exotic female voice is matched with the clear music like the sky, and the dance of boys and girls shows us a picture of the mountains; in "Argentina Medley", the man waves a bright red cape and the woman holds the dark blue skirt, forming a sharp contrast.

Chapter 2: Struggle THE STRUGGLE | Today's difficulties will become tomorrow's strength

Youth is flying, moving forward courageously, and striving endlessly. The dancers are full of youth and passion, and they have impressed the audience with their highly infectious performances. The stage design, lighting, and effects complement each other and are amazing. In addition to the dance performances, there is also the ethereal instrumental performance "Eagle Song", the lingering sound is endless.

Chapter 3: STRENGHT | In the struggle, we discover the strength and beauty contained in our bodies

Strength gives us the confidence to face all difficulties, step firmly and move forward! In this chapter, the combination of strength and softness, the powerful street dance, the familiar and beautiful Disney classic songs, the passionate and unrestrained folk dance, the elegant and charming ballroom dance, make people dazzled and linger.

Chapter 4: JOY

Elegant ballet; charming tango; dynamic street dance; folk dances from Bolivia, Africa, Argentina, Ecuador and Costa Rica, each with its own style, showing the charming cultural characteristics and customs of different countries; including modern dance, jazz, Latin and other rich dance elements. The music style is varied and the ideas are pioneering, very creative, passionate and powerful. At the exciting end, the art troupe brought a small band with South American characteristics and a large and enthusiastic group dance, pushing the performance atmosphere to a climax.

The whole performance resonated with the audience through the dynamic music beat and wonderful body performance. Everyone swayed and clapped to the beat from time to time, dancing and feeling with the actors. As the host, students from various universities also presented performances with Chinese characteristics, brilliantly interpreting the gentleness and delicate softness of Chinese dance, and exchanged with the American Youth (College Students) Visiting Art Troupe on the same stage.

The dance night with a combination of Chinese and Western cultures, the youth of the three friendly cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Utah exhibited the cultures of various ethnic groups. This is not only an exchange and collision of Chinese and American cultures, but also a spiritual exchange across national borders. The tour will also become a highlight of the humanities and arts exchange between Chinese and American youth college students in 2018.

The event was jointly sponsored by Shanghai Association for International Cultural Exchange, Shanghai Tianyuan Performing Arts Co., Ltd., China Media Capital (Shanghai) Culture Development Co., Ltd., Shanghai Fengxian "Oriental Beauty Valley Art Festival" Organizing Committee, and US-China Cultural and Art Exchange Association; co-organized by Shanghai Tianyuan Performing Arts Co., Ltd., Shanghai Fengxian District Culture, Radio, Film and Television Administration, and Shanghai Fengxian District Education Bureau; co-organized by Shanghai Exit-Entry Service Center Co., Ltd., and sponsored by Bright Dairy Co., Ltd.

[Sanmenxia] The US-China Cultural and Art Exchange Association and the Utah Valley University Choir came to our college to carry out cultural exchanges (Sanmenxia Vocational and Technical College)

Recently, at the invitation of Sanmenxia City, Mr. Dong Rongcan, President of the China-US Cultural and Art Exchange Association, led nearly 40 teachers and students from the Utah Valley University Cultural and Art Troupe to visit our college and was warmly welcomed by our teachers and students. The two sides spent an unforgettable time in a warm and friendly atmosphere, and the friendship between the students of the two schools was further enhanced, writing a rich and colorful chapter for the friendly exchanges between the two countries and the two schools. (The left picture shows Chinese and American students making dumplings together and experiencing Chinese culture)

On March 18, teachers and students of the School of Digital Arts and Media held an academic exchange activity with the University of Utah in the International Lecture Hall of Shandong Institute of Arts and Crafts Changqing Campus, during which they gave lectures on "Digital Art and Cultural Communication" and "Music Appreciation of Animated Films". Professor Raymond Temas-Jones, Assistant Vice President and Dean of the School of Arts at the University of Utah, Editor-in-Chief Yu Tianzhu, Dr. Dong Rongcan, Dean of the School of Digital Arts and Media Gu Qunye, Vice Dean Wu Xiangyang, and more than 100 teachers and students of the Digital Media Art and Animation majors of the School of Digital Arts and Media attended the event.

Professor Raymond pointed out that the purpose of this trip was to expand cultural and artistic exchanges with teachers and students of Shandong Institute of Arts and Crafts. He praised the teaching facilities and museum collections of Shandong Institute of Arts and Crafts, and used a short film to show the style of the School of Art at the University of Utah.

As a cultural and artistic communicator, Chief Editor Yu Tianzhu shared her experience and insights in the dissemination of digital art culture. She believes that art forms can be digitized, digital art has good dissemination and media properties, and can unite various fields, and pointed out that "culture is the soul of art." Yu Tianzhu talked about the importance of cultural soft power, used her own experience to explain the experience of cultural dissemination through artistic activities, and expressed regret that a large number of excellent traditional cultures have not been spread overseas.

Dr. Dong Rongcan compared the animation soundtracks of China, Japan, and the United States at the same time, briefly introduced the structural names of music in animated films, and believed that it could correspond to the transition in ancient Chinese poetry. He took the Japanese musician Joe Hisaishi as an example to illustrate the importance of music in animated films. Dong Rongcan played representative animation soundtrack clips from various countries and historical stages. The gorgeousness of the United States and the professionalism of Japan inspired Chinese animation soundtracks to innovate themes and instrumentation techniques based on national elements, combine with the theme, and should not abandon China's national characteristics.

"Shandong University of Arts and Crafts" website full text >>