Cultural Collections
Cultural significance of dance in China explored in new U-M Library collection
By Lynne Raughley
Dance has been an important aspect of Chinese life since ancient times. A new collection at the University of Michigan Library provides a unique resource for the study of Chinese dance and its integral and shifting role in Chinese history, culture and politics.
Among the collection’s highlights is the “Pioneers of Chinese Dance Digital Archive,” a collection of more than 1,500 photographs from the private holdings of Chinese dancers whose careers spanned the 1930s through the 2000s and who had a major impact on the history of Chinese dance.
The digital images were collected by Emily Wilcox, a U-M assistant professor of Asian languages and cultures who specializes in Chinese dance and performance, in the course of her research.
In fact, the idea for a collection centered around Chinese dance was born in a 2013 lunch meeting between Wilcox and Chinese Studies Librarian Liangyu Fu, at the time both newcomers to the university. Fu saw the opportunity to create a unique specialty area within the Asia Library’s already very strong Chinese studies collection. Wilcox welcomed the establishment of a permanent home for the materials she had collected over 10 years of research in the field, which also include audiotapes of oral histories from more than 300 hours of conversations with leading dancers and choreographers.
“This generation of artists is aging, so it was urgent to capture their stories,” Wilcox said.
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Cultural Collections
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