Two brothers discover traditional Chinese culture through dance. They grew up in the West but have a profound understanding of this ancient art form. They’re professional dancers participating in NTD’s 10th International Classical Chinese Dance competition this September.
Lucas Browde earned the gold award at the NTD International Classical Chinese Dance competition two years ago.
“I feel like with classical Chinese dance, it’s a bit different because, behind it, there’s so much—5,000 years of culture, right? And then hidden in between the dance there’s all these virtues, all these concepts, all this morality that is actually being displayed through dancing.”
He and his brother Jesse Browde were drawn to classical Chinese dance and joined Shen Yun Performing Arts—a leader in this ancient art form.
“I’ve been watching Shen Yun since I was a kid,” said Mr. Jesse Browde, “but this was the first time that I kind of actually understood the dances, especially the story ones. I almost cried a couple of times that night. And I remember going home that night and I wanted to be a Shen Yun dancer.”
While other children were enjoying their youth, these two brothers were dedicated to honing their dance skills. They faced their own distinct challenges along the way.
“Naturally, my limbs are a bit longer and I’m a bit weaker than everyone else. And also, maybe I’m a bit tighter in places you’re supposed to be relaxed. And so it’s harder for me to perform the jumping techniques and the flipping and stuff,” said Mr. Lucas Browde.
“So for me, my big problem would be I have to put in the extra 200 percent to build my strength in order to be able to achieve these tentacle-like jumps and flips.”
“Although the path of dance isn’t very easy, but I think going through it will make you a much stronger person in the heart.”
“There’s so many principles of ancient Chinese culture that go into the dance. And so, at first, I did struggle with this, growing up in the West,” said Mr. Jesse Browde. “But I guess it’s a matter of how well you grasp the culture, how much you want to grasp the culture in a way.”
“Sometimes you feel like you go through long periods of time without making much progress. You don’t see any hope, I guess, to put it in an extreme way. I guess a lot of the times, I kind of just have to sit myself down with a friend or my brother or something like that. And kind of talk about why we’re here and what we’re doing this for,” he added. “We’re not just here to dance, we’re not just here to practice this art form. But we’re also trying to have a greater purpose. We’re trying to spread this culture to the people of the world and tell the truth of what’s happening in China. The persecution and stuff like that.”
Through the day-to-day grind of training, the two brothers overcome their inner anxieties and push beyond their physical limits. In turn, they live full, rewarding lives.
“First through the dance training, I think it taught me diligence, perseverance, and to be positive,” said Mr. Lucas Browde. “Those few lessons, I definitely—it built into me pretty strongly, and I’m pretty grateful for that.”
“Ancient Chinese culture is definitely a divinely inspired culture, right? And when you believe that there’s this sort of higher being that’s bestowing these gifts upon you, it kind of humbles you in a way,” said Mr. Jesse Browde. “It humbles you a lot, actually, because you know that everything that I have, everything that I basically stand for is given to me, almost. Sort of like in the Renaissance, like all of the paintings and sculptures, they’re all glorifying the divine.”
The two brothers won gold and silver in the 2021 NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition. This year, the competition will take place in early September at Purchase College in New York state. The brothers encourage dancers from around the world to participate.
“Through the competition, you improve a lot because you’re practicing techniques, you’re practicing movements, and then you’re stringing them together in a two-minute technique piece, and you’re doing it over and over and over again. And so your strength, your dancing, your stamina will all improve greatly,” said Mr. Jesse Browde.
“And then, through the story dance, your acting, your ‘biao xian li’ [ability to express], I guess, will improve a lot.”
Mr. Lucas Browde added: “We portray these really amazing stories filled jam-packed with lessons and morals. By joining this competition, I feel like you improve a lot as a person.”
“I’m very honored to be able to compete with all these people, these great people. We’ll improve together, go through much together, and we’ll go through strong. So ‘jia you’!”
