Participate in a dance workshop at the Chinatown Branch of the Boston Public Library as part of The Thousand Bloom, a public art project by artist Anita Yip celebrating the unwavering resilience and rich legacy of Boston Chinatown.
In this workshop, you’ll learn the traditional dance to 菊花爆滿山 (Chrysanthemums Bursting All Over the Mountain), a public square dance number that will be featured at Boston Chinatown’s first Double Ninth Festival on October 26 from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM (rain date: October 27). The dance captures themes of abundance, vitality, and the natural beauty of the landscape, celebrating the blooming chrysanthemums as a metaphor for prosperity and the flourishing of life. Culturally, the song also reflects the strength and enduring spirit of the community, much like the resilient chrysanthemum that thrives even in challenging conditions.
Whether you're an experienced dancer or a newcomer, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to be part of a cultural expression that bridges the past and future of Chinatown. By the end of the session, you'll have begun mastering the dance and gained a deeper understanding of the chrysanthemum's symbolic importance in art and culture.
Come ready to move, connect, and inspire joy in Chinatown!
The Thousand Bloom – A Chrysanthemum Grows in Chinatown 千朵花開:唐人街長出一朵菊花 is part of the Un-monument | Re-monument | De-monument: Transforming Boston Project presented by Pao Arts Center, curated by Lani Asunción, and funded by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, and the City of Boston with the support from the Mellon Foundation.
Free | Open to the public
About the Artist:
Anita Yip is a multidisciplinary artist whose works honor and uplift underheard voices and cultures through documentary photography, journalism, curated experiences, and new media. Exploring the intricate relationships between art, archives, and identity within the interplay of cultural truths and fictions, she poses the question: "What is remembered, and what is lost?" Her art confronts and mediates painful experiences, lack of representation, and scarcity or even the absence of resources.
Embracing the symbolism of the thousand bloom—an emblem of unity and collective strength that reflects Boston Chinatown’s long history of solidarity and resilience—Anita is making her public art debut with a project that celebrates both joy and perseverance
