Did you ever make paper snowflakes in school? Did they, like mine, ever fall apart after snipping off the wrong corner? Still, the best part of making paper snowflakes is the anticipation of discovering what yours ends up looking like.

I remember how, in second grade, I attentively followed my teacher’s instructions, folded over the paper corners, cut out the edges into different shapes, and created my very own snowflake. Everyone in the class ended up with a distinctive design. No wonder you cannot find matching snowflakes in nature.

This season, snowflakes have taken a new look. Peerless to my old flimsy paper flakes, these are not tearable. But they are also handcrafted, this time made of fabric, and are really a type of handkerchief. If you look closely enough, you’ll see tiny pink, green, and silver embellishments individually sewn around the rims, and a soft trim of white fur around the outer edge for the complete wintery look. And who could have thought of using handkerchiefs to represent snowflakes on stage?

Our handkerchiefs, besides being able to magically turn into fluttering snowflakes, also possess other remarkable abilities. They can spin on a fingertip. They can go airborne, landing safely in someone else’s hand. Or, they can return like a boomerang after launching into the sky. Some people ask us how we do it. The answer is actually simple—it’s magic.

Snowflakes Welcoming Spring is one of this season’s favorite pieces. Choreographed with a northeastern Chinese folk dance style and peppy music, its quick chirpy steps are well synchronized as young ladies relish the last moments of winter. Light pink costumes and sparkly white handkerchiefs fill the stage, mirrored by gently falling snowflakes on the animated backdrop, creating a spirit of winter calm brimming with joyfulness.

Then suddenly, a little surprise heralding the arrival of spring. A new season is embraced.        

February 17, 2012