The World of Movements: When Body Language Comes Alive is a collaborative dance art program between the TAO Dance Theater and Shanghai’s Museum of Art Pudong involving amateur dancers and audiences. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]
The Museum of Art Pudong has collaborated with TAO Dance Theater – a modern dance group in China with an international reputation – to launch an immersive dance art event, The World of Movements: When Body Language Comes Alive, running from Feb 12 to March 5.
TAO Dance Theater, founded in 2008, was the first contemporary dance company in China to be invited to perform at the Lincoln Center Art Festival in the US, the Edinburgh International Art Festival in the UK, the Sydney Opera House in Australia and the Theatre de la Ville in France.
Featuring 27 performers from the dance theater, this experimental dance rendition marks the theater’s first collaboration with audiences to complete a choreography production – but it’s also the museum’s first time to host an immersive dance live program.
The troupe in this performance event were recruited from the public without further professional training. This project made its debut in September 2024 in Hangzhou. The dancers in this performance include members of the audience at that time.
In order to facilitate a seamless integration of dancers and spectators within the museum space, the building’s entire 4th floor has been transformed into a cozy setting – complete with couches, chairs and beds – while the floor itself has been meticulously painted white to mirror the rehearsal hall of the TAO Dance Theater.
“It’s one of our dreams to perform at the Museum of Art Pudong, one of Shanghai’s cultural landmarks,” said Tao Ye, creator and art director of the TAO Dance Theater.
Embracing the ideas of “Dance for you, dance for yourself” by the theater’s second group of dancers, the performance will discard scripted choreography in favor of a framework based on specific principles and guidelines for movement.
Audiences are being encouraged to participate in the dance, fostering incident creativity within the performance space.
Source: Shanghai Observer, thepaper.cn
,https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20250212/f44a657fc73d41e393f9f50af729c931.html