On the stage, the atmosphere shifts into a contemplative silence. A figure clad in purple and white emerges, her silhouette defined by the sweep of a folded fan. The movements are oscillating—at times fluid as water, at others brisk and controlled. She is no longer a dancer in the modern sense but a scholar of antiquity, solitary and reflective, wandering through a moonlit world of her own making.
This is Moonlight Mist, the choreographic piece that earned Bella Fan the gold award in the adult female division of the 2023 NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition. For Fan, a principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts since 2016, the performance was not merely a display of technique but a deeply internalized dialogue with history.
The piece draws its spirit from Cave Fairy Song: Sizhou Mid-Autumn Festival, a poem by the Song Dynasty writer Chao Buzhi. The narrative captures a specific, ephemeral moment: a narrator admiring the moon on a misty night, leading to a profound reflection on the meaning of existence.
The Canvas of the Song Dynasty
To embody the protagonist of Moonlight Mist, Fan had to look beyond the steps and immerse herself in the aesthetic temperament of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). This era, revered as a golden age of Chinese art, was defined by impeccable paintings, sophisticated poetry, and exquisite porcelain. The artistic philosophy of the time favored profound simplicity—a clean, elegant aesthetic where every subtle detail carried significant weight, often underpinned by Confucian values.
Fan describes her approach as painting with the body. “With her body as the brush, the stage as the canvas, and the music as the ink,” she weaves the determination found in ancient writings into a poetic image. The character she portrays undergoes a tumultuous internal journey, moving from a sense of dejection and loneliness to a joyous experience of enlightenment.
“I have a strong affinity for Song Dynasty culture,” Fan notes, explaining how she immersed herself in the genre’s poetry to understand the scholar’s complex emotions. The dance requires a juxtaposition of heavy, solemn steps as the character searches the night sky for answers, against light, joyful footwork following a sudden epiphany.
The Mechanics of Spirit
In classical Chinese dance, the physical and the spiritual are inextricable. The art form posits that dance begins in the heart; the performer must align herself with the sentiments she wishes to communicate before the body can move. This philosophy transforms the dancer’s limbs into conduits for intellectual insight and philosophical dialogue.
To achieve the necessary range of expression, Fan utilizes a specialized technique known as shen dai shou, kua dai tui (the body leads the hands, the hips lead the legs). This method, unique to Shen Yun’s training, represents a pinnacle of classical mechanics. It demands that even the smallest action—the flick of a fingertip or the point of a toe—originates from the body’s core.
Fan compares this physical extension to a writer’s vocabulary. “Dancers strive to extend their limbs as far as they can,” she observes. “This extension not only adds grace and dynamics but also provides more room for expression, making the performance more powerful.”
Through this technique, the character in Moonlight Mist becomes three-dimensional. The audience sees not just a sequence of turns and leaps, but the manifestation of a virtuous scholar’s tenacity. When the character stumbles in the haze, the weight is palpable; when she finds clarity, the “delight and ease” radiate through the extension of her arms and the pacing of her feet.
Resilience Behind the Curtain
The ethereal ease visible on stage belies the grueling reality of the artist’s daily life. Since leaving her hometown in Taiwan ten years ago to join Shen Yun in New York, Fan has adhered to a regimen of intensive training. The company, which comprises eight touring groups performing over a hundred shows per season, requires distinct stamina and flexibility.
Fan candidly acknowledges the moments of exhaustion and pain where the thought of quitting surfaces. Yet, her internal dialogue reveals a steely resolve. “I ask myself: ‘Do you truly want to quit dancing, or do you simply want to avoid the hard work and difficulties that lie ahead?’ The answer is obvious, so I always choose to continue.”
There are no shortcuts in this art form. Mastery is a process of trial and error, of finding the “right feeling” through endless repetition, and adjusting the application of force until the movement becomes second nature.
A Sacred Mission
The name “Shen Yun” translates to “the beauty of divine beings dancing,” a moniker that carries a weight of responsibility for its performers. The company’s mission is to revive authentic traditional Chinese culture—a heritage spanning five thousand years, deeply rooted in the belief in divine beings and the moral laws of Heaven.
For Fan and her fellow dancers, this artistic pursuit is intertwined with spiritual cultivation. As practitioners of Falun Dafa, they strive to live by the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. This focus on internal character is not separate from their art; it is the foundation of it. Ancient scholars believed the heart was the locus of the self, and that high moral virtue was a prerequisite for influencing society. Similarly, to master the shen dai shou technique, the dancer must execute movement from a pure heart.
“Being a classical Chinese dancer has made me more confident, resilient, patient, and persevering,” Fan reflects. Her journey, much like the scholar she portrays in the mist, is one of seeking, struggling, and ultimately finding clarity through the discipline of her art.
