ANN/CHINA DAILY – In a graceful tableau, an 80-year-old sculptor, Wang Qian, brings to life the delicate movements of ancient dancers through her intricate clay figurines. Formerly employed at the Xi’an Beilin Museum, renowned for its vast collection of stone carvings and steles, Wang recently graced the halls of the Beijing Dance Academy. There, she bestowed upon the esteemed institution a remarkable gift: 105 sets of dancing figurines, comprising a total of 353 pieces, meticulously crafted by her skilled hands between 2015 and 2020.
These figurines, replicas of ceramic dancers spanning dynasties from the Warring States Period to the Ming Dynasty, are inspired by Wang’s deep appreciation for dance, cultivated since her youth. Drawing from museum exhibits, literature, and imagery, she painstakingly recreates these timeless forms, some of which reside in prestigious institutions like the Shaanxi History Museum and Xi’an Museum, while others endure only in archival records. Wang’s passion for dance finds expression through her artistry, as she imparts vitality to each figurine, imbuing them with the essence of movement and grace.
Her hope is that the Beijing Dance Academy will serve as a stage for her creations, where teachers and students alike will breathe life into these sculptures, allowing their singular beauty to captivate audiences far and wide. FAMILY LEGACY Wang was born in Xiaoxian county, Suzhou city, East China’s Anhui province. She studied at an art sch.