Meeting Intellectuals in the Spring Hills Aesthetic Education Special Edition——Slow Walking TAO DANCE THEATER
At the beginning of April, as all things awaken, "Meeting Intellectuals in the Spring Hills," a university-level lecture series, welcomes its Aesthetic Education Special Edition. This special event aims to transcend traditional formats, fostering immersive artistic experiences through deep dialogue and collaborative creation.
Together with TAO DANCE THEATER, we will embark on "Slow Walking," using the body as a brush to explore the rhythm of life, engage in a dialogue with the body amidst the vitality of spring, and discover the meaning of "this moment."
The two founders of TAO DANCE THEATER, TAO Ye and DUAN Ni, will visit the university to exchange ideas with participants and serve as guest mentors for the workshops.
Activity Schedule
01
Afternoon Chat with TAO DANCE THEATER
Time
17:00-18:00 April 2, 2025 (Wednesday)
Venue
TC101 Artist-in-Residence Studio
Language
Chinese
Come and have tea with TAO DANCE THEATER. Let's chat freely and share our thoughts.
?
02
Workshop Ⅰ?
Time
18:30-20:00 April 2, 2025 (Wednesday)
Venue
Student Centre 301 Multi-Purpose Hall
Language
Chinese
Content
You will gain insights from the tutors’ interpretation of contemporary dance and experience the captivating power of body movement firsthand.
03
Workshop II
Time
11:30-13:30 April 3, 2025（Thursday)
Venue
Student Centre 301 Multi-Purpose Hall & By the pond in front of?the library
Language
Chinese
Content
Under the guidance of the tutors, you will explore body movement and step outdoors for a fun and engaging "Slow Walking" experience.
?
QR Code for Registration
* You can register for either a single session or all three sessions of the event. Limited places are available, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
?
Guests
TAO Ye
Born in Chongqing, TAO Ye is a graduate of the Chongqing Dance School in China. After dancing with the Shanghai Army Song & Dance Ensemble, he joined Shanghai Jin Xing Dance Theater, and later moved to Beijing to join the Beijing Modern Dance Company (BMDC). In 2008, at the age of 23, TAO Ye founded TAO DANCE THEATER. His main works include: “Numerical Series”- Weight x?3, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16?and?17; “Non-numerical Series”-?Contrast; “Arts Live”Series -?12 Hours, Infinite Walking?and?The World of Movements.
He was named Sadler’s Wells 2011-2013 “New Wave Associates”. TAO Ye was also invited to collaborate on-site with the Y-3 Brand by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, create production with Cloud Gate Theatre and star in the film?Blue Sky Bones?directed by Cui Jian. He has been invited to cross-disciplinary collaborations such as film, theatre, fashion design, video, photography and etc.
In 2022, TAO Ye made it to the cover of VOGUE magazine. In 2023, TAO Ye was awarded the Silver Lion for Dance at La Biennale di Venezia.
TAO Ye consistently signifies his choreography with minimalistic style, repetition and restriction. His creative concepts include: focusing on the grooves of the spine while removing the movements of dancers’ limbs, replacing the accompanying soundtrack with live vocals from the dancers seeking to make the dancers become a “mobile sound system”, restricting dancers’ bodies on the dance floor seeking to limit the vision in two dimensions, naming his works simply with numbers, and etc. His concepts were acclaimed “definitely on the cutting edge” and are very challenging for dancers and spectators.
?
DUAN Ni
Born in Xi'an, DUAN Ni graduated from the Shaanxi Art College. She graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy modern dance choreography department (Guangdong branch), led by dance education pioneer Madame YANG Meiqi, founding director of the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, China's first modern dance company. During school, DUAN Ni received a scholarship of ACC to attend the American Dance Festival. For the first time, DUAN Ni systematically taught "Relaxation Techniques" in China, and her cutting-edge teaching concepts subverted the inherent concept of body movement of domestic dancers.
DUAN Ni used to dance with Shanghai Jin Xing Dance Theatre, Akram Khan Dance Company (UK), and Shen Wei Dance Arts (USA). In August 2008, she joined TAO Dance Theater as the Founding Dancer and Artistic Director. As the first Chinese contemporary dancer invited by international dance companies, DUAN Ni accepted all concepts and styles with the inclusiveness of her body in this series of rich backgrounds at home and abroad, and formed her own body language and characteristics - softness and toughness, pure and open. She has performed three times at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts in New York with three different dance companies. Each time, her performance was singled out by?The New York Times, lauded by critics as "extraordinary”, “formidable” and “athletic control”. In 2019, she was recommended by VOUGE and selected as an outstanding woman of "Light of Power" by BVLGARI.
In 2022, DUAN Ni made it to the cover of VOGUE magazine. In 2023, DUAN Ni was awarded the Silver Lion for Dance at La Biennale di Venezia.
?
About TAO DANCE THEATER
TAO DANCE THEATER is a full-time contemporary dance company founded by TAO Ye, DUAN Ni and WANG Hao in 2008. It is the first contemporary dance company in China to be invited to perform at the Lincoln Center Art Festival in the United States, the Edinburgh International Art Festival in the United Kingdom, the Sydney Opera House in Australia and Theatre de la Ville in France. They have also been invited to perform at the American Dance Festival (ADF), where they additionally served as resident artists. The Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. UK, has commissioned five works by the company and invited them to perform in London six times.
The projects of the Numerical Series, created by the company with a simple creative concept and straight forward physicality, have toured five continents, more than 40 countries and over 100 different art festivals. The company has attracted extensive attention from people from all walks of life, becoming one of the most sought-after Chinese modern dance companies on the international stage.
In 2015, TAO DANCE THEATER?was awarded the Most art "New Artist of the Year" by the?Beijing News.?In 2023, TAO DANCE THEATER, which is "committed to simplifying complexity into a 'pure dance' aesthetic",?won?one of the world's most authoritative and influential awards - Silver Lion Award of Dance at La Biennale di Venezia. In 2024, TAO DANCE THEATER ?was?awarded the "Artist of the Year" prize by?New Weekly?Magazine.
In 2021, TAO DANCE THEATER established art extension brands of DNTY and TAO STUDIO. The former uses the design concept of "clothes should follow the body" to release the artists' inspiration. It also combines the creativity of multiple performing arts such as clothing, music, dance, and video to derive and share the dancers' dressing aesthetics and lifestyle. The latter "pays attention to more human bodies" and launches courses of Circular Movement System, allowing more people to discover that "the body can also move like this", to feel, to experience and to explore the infinite possibilities of the body like a kaleidoscope.
In 2024, TAO DANCE THEATER established the second company with the purpose of "Dancing for you". The dancers of TAO DANCE THEATER 2 are?not limited?to?any age, occupation, or nationality. which means that the dance creation and expression of TAO DANCE THEATER 2 are closer to life, connected to this era, and closely related to everyone, integrating the concept that "the body is the theater" into a broader audience. The fields of expression of TAO DANCE THEATER 2 are more diverse, including theaters, art galleries, outdoors, communities and other uncertain spaces. The audience and dancers will also redefine the boundaries between each other, allowing the performance to foster the possibility that "everyone is an artist".
