Eastern Art Western Influences

By Joseph Carman

Shen Wei Dance Arts presents a new way of looking at Eastern culture.

Chinese-born and New York-based, choreographer Shen Wei has fully immersed himself in the cultures of the East and West. Anyone who saw the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics will likely recall the stunning first seven minutes—dancers executing intricate drawings and calligraphy while performing mesmerizing movements. That's the essence of Shen Wei's work—flowing, intelligent, theatrical, breathtaking choreography. From April 16-18, Shen Wei Dance Arts will present its splendid blend of art and dance to the Orange County Performing Arts Center with his trio of works titled Re- Triptych.

The three sections of the full-evening piece, a West Coast premiere, are inspired by his travels throughout Asia and some strikingly different aspects of the continent: Tibet, the temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and modern Beijing. The prefix "Re" in the title refers to the ideas of return, reconsideration and renewal. In his four visits to Tibet, Shen was continually impressed by what he calls, "the purity, humbleness and simplicity of that culture." At the temple complex of Angkor Wat, Shen saw the vivid "power of nature and the history of the Cambodian people." And as a native of China (he was born in Hunan), he has seen an explosion of change since he left 15 years ago.

Shen Wei

When he established Shen Wei Dance Arts 10 years ago, Shen developed his own dance technique called "natural body development," which explores the different ways the human body can move. Drawing on his knowledge of Chinese performance and art—he studied the intricacies of Chinese opera and Eastern painting and calligraphy when he was younger—he has also added his experiences of modern dance technique and Western performance styles. He conjures up sculptural images, such as the silky white, ghostly bodies of the "Angkor Wat" section, yet pushes his dancers to dizzying speed, their bodies reverberating with movement in "New Silk Road." In "Tibet" the floor is scattered with shreds of colored paper that form a Tibetan-like mandala pattern, which is gradually eroded by the complex patterns of choreography executed by the dancers.

Shen designed the sets and costumes, with lighting by Jennifer Tipton. The music, some of it performed by live musicians, reflects the various Asian cultures. "Tibet" is set to the chanting of exiled Tibetan nuns. "Angkor Wat" utilizes the elegiac score "Tears of the Angels" for orchestra and solo violin composed by John Tavener, traditional Cambodian music, and on-site nature recordings that Shen made at the temple. A pulsating, richly driven score by David Lang provides the foundation for the dynamic "New Silk Road."

As a young man, Shen moved to Guangzhou, China, and became a founding member of the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, the first of its kind in China. In 1995, at the age of 27, he immigrated to New York and began to be noticed as a choreographer with a distinct voice. His choreography, and eventually his company, has been seen internationally at the American Dance Festival and Lincoln Center Festival, among many others. A MacArthur "genius" grant winner, he was invited to China as one of a panel of seven Chinese artists to devise and coordinate the opening ceremonies of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing.

Shen didn't initially envision Re- as a triptych. "After my time in China, I really felt that the whole concept could be pulled together in the end," he says. But the three disparate sections of Re- coalesce as a hypnotic evening of theater and dance, created by an extraordinary talent who has straddled the mysteries of the East and the modernism of the West.

Joseph Carman writes about the performing arts and is the author of Round About the Ballet.

SEGERSTROM HALL
Dates: April 16-18, 2010
Tickets: $11 and up
For tickets and information, visit ocpac.org or call 714.556.2787.
Group sales: 714.755.0236

The Center Applauds:
Audrey Steele Burnand Endowed Fund for International Danc
Jane and Jim Driscoll
Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances

With special underwriting from:
S.L. and Betty Huang

Media Sponsors:
KUSC
Coast magazine