Contemporary Dance - Beyond the StillnessOct. 21st - 22nd, 2017 Duanjun Theatre, STA
In our fickle time where impulse is given free reign, individuals are in a constant state of anxiety, obsessed by both loss and gain. Learning how to find one's position in a rapidly moving society and reconcile oneself with surroundings has become a necessity. The inspiration from the choreography of this performance is the concept of 'stillness' from Eastern Aesthetics. Stillness is a delicate state of balance. The surface may appear placid, but a violent confrontation is taking place underneath. Beyond the Stillness is composed of three pieces 'Solitude' , 'No Man is a lonely Island' and 'A Group of Three is a Collective' presenting the complexity of human three conditions. The language of the dancers' movements tells the hidden fluctuations occurring beneath a seemingly calm surface, and the constant adjustments maintaining a composed appearance. Like walking on a balance beam, the dancers are constantly pulled by two opposing forces. Eventually, their struggles lead to an enlightenment. They are reconciled with both themselves and the multitude of reality, and regain a clear and empty state of mind.
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie was born in 1989 in Lanzhou China and graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy in 2011. He received a number of significant awards for his performance in Perhaps fly and became a rising star. After graduation, Zheng joined Beijing Contemporary Ballet Dance Company and later toured with the company to the US, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Israel, Singapore and Australia as the leading dancer. During that period, he also worked with the Art Director of the National Danish Dance Theatre to produce End of Loneliness Full, which was performed in New Royal Danish Playhouse. In 2015, he participated in Escaping from the Temple by Zhao Liang, which was commissioned by China Shanghai International Arts Festival; later in the same year, he joined the new concept music dance project Sheng Teng as choreographer. In 2016, he worked for DLAB DANCE as creative choreographer and performed one of Wang Jianhui's works Awakening. He also created The Letter of Love and Icosahedron, which were debuts at Shanghai Grand Theatre. Meanwhile, he initiated a play in which performers could dance in a specific environment and later performed an environmental play in Xintiandi. At the end of 2016, he joined the directing team of dance Early February, which was presented by Shanghai Grand Theatre. He performed in dance The Nightingale and the Rose in Latvia and Estonia, and dance Dinner in UCCA in 2017.
