Author Archives: Wanlu Ni

Tarantella

Nationality: Italian
Age: 43
Occupation: Professor
Residence: California
Performance Date: 02/20/2017
Primary Language: English

Original Script: Tarantella is a dance always performed Italian weddings, festivals, and celebrations. Tarantella was originated from Taranto, a small town in the southern Italy, at around 15th century. The legend of Tarantella is related to a poisonous tarantula spider. A lady was once bitten by the spider, and she fell into a trance. The only solution to save her was the crazy dance performed by other people encircling her. The instruments used in the performance are usually mandolin, guitar, and tambourines. Every beat of the music would have a different effect on the lady, and the people searched for the precise rhythm that could cure the lady by trying different beats and movements.

 

 

Italian Proverb

Nationality: Italian
Age: 43
Occupation: Professor
Residence: California
Performance Date: 04/20/2017
Primary Language: English

Original Script: La Befana vien di notte, con le scarpe tutte rotte

Translation: La Befana comes in the night, with her broken shoes.

Background information: Le Befana is an old, white-haired, wrinkly woman. She would come to only good kids on January 6th, leaving them candies and chocolates. And she would leave bad kids with charcoal in empty socks.

Thoughts about the piece: the story of La Befana is similar to Santa Claus.

 

The Death

Nationality: China
Age: 25
Occupation: student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 04/12/2017
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

There was one day Alex slept next to his grandmother. He waked up at night and saw a shadowy figure standing next to his grandmother with a trident. He then raised himself from the bed and tries to see the face of the figure. However, the figure then disappeared suddenly. Next day Alex told his mom and grandmother the figure he saw yesterday. His mom said the figure was the Death and was going to take his grandmother; however, as Alex wake up and frightened away the death.

 

Feng Shui

Nationality: China
Age: 50
Occupation: Doctor
Residence: China
Performance Date: 03/21/2017
Primary Language: Chinese

Informant: my mother

Original Script: Feng Shui is a practice of arranging furniture for good luck in Chinese folklore. Doors, windows, and other types of furniture need to be balanced so that energy can flow through the house without stopping. For example, it is not good to have your bed facing the door of the bathroom, and doing so will weaken your luck. And crystals can be used to deflect negative energy. Putting a crystal figurine on your desk is beneficial.

 

Background information: Feng Shui is a superstition in Chinese folklore. Some people extremely believe in that so in China there is professional Feng Shui consultant that tells you how to arrange your home.

 

Thoughts on the piece: I did not hear any American or Western folklore that related to the arrangement of the furniture. But my friend once told me that McDonald’s use a lot of red colors in the interior because red makes people agitated so that they won’t stay in the McDonald’s for too long. The theory of color in Chinese Feng Shui is more about superstition. For example, green stimulates business and helps you earn money, and violet gives peace and insight.

 

The white monkey

Nationality: China
Age: 50
Occupation: Doctor
Residence: China
Performance Date: 03/30/2017
Primary Language: Chinese

Informant: my mother

Original Script: After the heaven was created, a book recorded the heaven’s secret was made. To prohibit human from discovering the secret of the heaven, a group of white monkeys was sent to guard the book. However, one of the monkeys was very curious so he looked at the book when there was no one around and learned some secrets of the heaven. As punishment, the monkey had to guard the book forever by himself, knowing the secrets but never able to tell anyone. The other white monkeys were set free and went down to the man’s world to discover knowledge from other sources.

Thoughts on this piece: Monkey plays a significant role in Chinese culture. The character of monkey is always curious and disobedient to the rules. One of the famous examples is the Monkey King, who rebelled against the heaven and then was imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha.