Modern dance goes mainstream
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Autumn embodies a religious mood, or an attitude of self-questioning after the harvesting of life, according to Tsao. "It is where the devil appears, the drum echoes on the stage followed by dharma protectors. A self-lifting is completed in this chapter." "Winter is the time of returning," he continued. "The audience will see a solo dance by a male dancer, accompanied by the beautiful image of a female dancer through the multimedia projection. Attracted to each other yet isolated by time and space, they finally dive into the white winter, returning to the emptiness of their origin. "So we explore different statuses of human life, emotions, culture, religion and then we return to the innocence to complete a circle of one's life journey." Since opening in a small theater in Beijing's Chaochangdi Art District last year, over 5,000 people have come to see the production. "It's sort of daunting for a modern dance company to stage in the 10,000-seat Great Hall of the People," Tsao said, who has been relentlessly promoting modern dance in China for the past 30 years. "Modern dance is never a popular art form that appeals to a vast audience in China or anywhere else in the world. However, in my opinion, a healthy society is constructed by a pyramid, with avant-garde artists and trendsetters on the top. Those audience members who appreciate innovative art are the driving forces of the whole society." "What is comforting for me to know is that there are a small number of people constituting that pyramid. While in the past, all China had was mass culture," Tsao commented, indicating a sense of relief. After tonight's performance at the Great Hall of the People, Shi Fang will continue its residential run at Dream Garden theater in Caochangdi.
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