Available to purchase | Talking Body

Date‍‍

19:30, August 24-25, 2023

Venue‍‍

Grand Theater @ Shanghai International Dance Center

Tickets‍

 80/180/280/380/480/580

Hotline‍‍

021-52990372、52995821

Purchase Online‍

A new work by WANG Jianhui, former dancer of Dutch Dance Theater, and dancer of Israeli Batsheva Dance Company

Male choreographer and female dancers collaborate together

Five female dancers declare their subjectivity with their bodies

SHU Yaohui, former dancer of Xiexin Dance Theatre

A modern dance version of “The Truman Show”

Trailor↑

If one's body caught in the infinite unknown could be compared with a boat in the ocean—at the helm, where should we lead and direct our bodies?

The body is a vessel or vehicle that sustains the establishment and expression of our beliefs, connecting the energy of the inner self with that found in the external world, witnessing breakthroughs as we arrive at new shores beyond.

The hustle and bustle of the city increasingly compresses our personal spaces. But the body, as much as the soul, needs to be taken care of at all fronts. For the upcoming Talking Body performance, we have invited WANG Jianhui from Nederlands Dans Theater and independent performer SHU Yaohui to stage two distinct choreographed pieces, to follow the lead of the body, and to explore the multi-faceted self.

Chasms by WANG Jianhui

Found beyond the precipice of the human mind are chasms. Fissures and cracks make the ascending journey hazardous, precipitating confusion, fear and falls. Where do they come from? Why do they exist? When humans are caught in danger, how do they find the courage to fight the abyss, and to secure soothing, illuminating lights? What is within the abyss? Trauma, pain, cure and power, perhaps. Falling from high above, helplessly hitting the ground—then get up and get yourself together before rushing towards the cliff again. Beyond the cliff is freedom, and the only way in which one may learn to fly is to go out. Fears, repressions, depravations, restrictions and desires—let it all out.

A story about chasms told by a male choreographer and female performers，Female dancers contribute their voices and bodies, and the choreographer's role is to offer catalysts. The distance between men and women, and that between eyes and bodies, produces novel, uncanny experiences.

He can see their reluctance. He is curious: what makes them hesitant? He feels that there is a remarkable energy within their bodies, but where does it come from? Why suppress, lurk, detour—why is there no means for it to explode and erupt? A man cannot be a woman; but a man opens his eyes and try to investigate. What is the past, the present and the future for dancing women? He enters their worlds, and through descriptions of gestures accounts for bodily histories, surges of emotions and the true self. In this choreographed piece, women make deep, solemn voices, pronouncing their subjectivity; in the nethermost region of human emotions, they—only as their true self—courageously confront existential crises, clinging tightly onto the sharp edges of the chasm, fighting for one's freedom to be a subject.

Truth by SHU Yaohui

How real or virtual is the world in which we reside? Do we create our own life, or is it readily predetermined by destiny?

In a life that is at once graduated yet fleeting, there are too many things that we treasure, and too many things we have to let go. Instead of insisting on the dichotomy between the real and the dreamlike, perhaps it is more meaningful to go beyond the question and to feel, to grasp each present moment.

WANG Jianhui

SHU Yaohui

【CREATIVE TEAM】

Producer: DUAN Jingting

Presented by: D.LAB DANCE

Choreographer: WANG Jianhui,SHU Yaohui

Dramaturge: WU Zhiwei

Chasms Dancers: WEI Qin, TANG Tingting, 

FAN Xuan, LI Yu, XIN Dijia,

Truth dancer：SHU Yaohui, YE Qinzeng, 

XU Zhixiang

Stage Director: LU Zhiwei

Composer: WANG Changcun

Lighting Design: LIU Yilan

Costume Design: CHEN Danqi

【D.LAB DANCE】

Dance Out of The Box China Contemporary Dance Biennale is a regular showcase of contemporary dance works by domestic young choreographers. The event aims to provide a platform for domestic contemporary dance choreographers to display their works and promote the cutting-edge contemporary dance from China to the world. Following the tradition, the theater will officially present the 2023 Dance Out of The Box China Contemporary Dance Biennale from August 18th to 27th.

The event, initiated and hosted by Shanghai International Dance Center Theater, consists of three main sections: dance performances, workshops, and showcases, bringing together domestic young choreographers, inspiring their passion for creation, and exposing Chinese contemporary dance to the global stage. Starting from August 18th, four dance works will meet with the audience, including Shoulder Hug. Dance. Hug Shoulder, Flexitarian, Talking Body, and Silent Flight. Additionally, workshops and outdoor short performances will be open to the public for free.