Chinese performing arts company is set to present an anthology of its groundbreaking, numerically titled productions, Chen Nan reports.

Since it was founded

Members of Tao Dance Theater showcase their moves at the theater's new studio in Beijing on April 1. (ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY)

in China in 2008, Tao Dance Theater has become one of the most exciting contemporary dance companies in the country and has toured over 40 countries worldwide.

During the past 14 years, the company has produced 11 dance works, which, for the first time, will be performed together during a weeklong event.

We want to get contemporary dance as close to the audiences as possible.

Tao Ye, founder and choreographer, Tao Dance Theater

From April 29 to May 4, dancers of the company, led by its founder and choreographer Tao Ye, will give both indoor and outdoor performances at the NCPA Taihu Stage Art Center in Beijing's Tongzhou district.

"It's more like a festival reviewing the history of Tao Dance Theater. We not only want to display all of the 11 dance pieces we've created, but we also hope to communicate with the audiences. There will be workshops, flash mobs and photo exhibitions outdoors. We want to get contemporary dance as close to the audiences as possible," says Tao.

Standing in the center of Tao Dance Theater's new dance studio, which is located in Beijing's northeastern suburbs, Tao announces the event with excitement.

All of the 11 dance compositions are named after the numbers of dancers participating in each piece, which is a tradition for Tao.

Tao Dance Theater started with a piece for three dancers, Weight X 3, which premiered in Beijing in 2009. Weight X 3 was Tao's first original choreography work, which is significant for the company and laid the foundation for its future style. On the first day of the event, Weight X 3 will be performed along with the company's early dance work, titled 2, which was co-choreographed and performed by Tao and his wife, Duan Ni, 44. Duan danced with Akram Khan Co in the United Kingdom and the New York-based company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, before returning to China in 2008.

Members of Tao Dance Theater showcase their moves at the theater's new studio in Beijing on April 1. (ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY)

According to 37-year-old Tao, it will be the last time that he and Duan perform the piece, 2, as it is quite physically demanding.

On the second day, dance pieces 4 and 5 will be performed. The third, fourth and fifth day will have dance pieces 6 and 7, 8 and 9, 12 and 10 staged, respectively. On the last day, the company's latest production, titled 11, Tao's longest piece so far, will be performed.

"The dance pieces will be performed chronologically, which will give the audiences a look at the artistic growth of Tao Dance Theater over the years," says Tao.

The idea of presenting all of Tao Dance Theater's works in one event formed in 2018, when Tao led the company in performing its dance pieces 8 and 9 at Theatre de la Ville in Paris. Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota, the artistic director of the theater, made the suggestion to Tao, and it stayed in his mind.

Tao didn't know when his company should undertake the marathon performance, until COVID-19 hit.

"We toured worldwide every year. We used to give many more performances abroad than in China. When the pandemic began, we had to stop touring, which made me think about the future of the company," says Tao. "It's time to build up a new relationship with audiences in China and to make some changes to the company, which used to rely financially on touring."

During the upcoming event, Beijing-based musician Xiao He will be invited to perform with Tao and his dancers. Xiao He has been composing for Tao's dance pieces since 2.

Tao will also showcase contemporary dance by working with artists of different fields and dancers will display the "circular movement system" to audiences, which, developed by Tao, is the basis for their daily training.

Tao says he is aware of the fact that contemporary dance is still young in China and many people find it too abstract to understand.

Tao Ye, founder and choreographer, Tao Dance Theater. (ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY)

Tao's dance works focus solely on the body itself, which involves lots of repetitive movement. Audiences, who are used to enjoying traditional dance performances that offer narrative and emotional lines, might find Tao's choreography challenging. However, Tao's works have found new ways of interpretation, breaking out of traditional aesthetic frameworks.

"My choreography is about flexibility and minimalism. I try to connect my body with the surroundings and explore the relationship between the body and the space. The dance was born out of my emotion at certain moments. It's natural that people won't understand it because they are not me," says Tao. "But it's totally fine. You just feel it your own way. When you watch me, you are part of the dance."

Tao was born in Chongqing, and was sent by his grandmother to a local dance school to learn Chinese classical dance and folk dance when he was 12 years old. His body was very flexible and he imitated the dancers he saw on TV, which impressed his grandmother.

He fell in love with contemporary dance after he visited Jin Xing Dance Co in Shanghai. The dance form allows him to listen to his body and follow his heart, rather than to rigorously focus on techniques, he says. Tao joined Jin Xing Dance Co in 2003. Two years later, he moved to Beijing, where he danced with Beijing Modern Dance Co before he founded his dance company in 2008.

In 2012, Tao Dance Theater became the first Chinese contemporary dance company to perform at the Lincoln Center Festival in New York City. The UK's Sadler's Wells Theater commissioned Tao five consecutive times and invited Tao Dance Theater to perform six times.

Last year, Tao launched his fashion label, DNTY, and the company has launched its class for amateur dancers. As well as videos and photos, in which Tao recorded Tao Dance Theater's development over the past 14 years, he also has the habit of writing things down. In 2022, he will release a book about the company and the ideas behind each of its dance pieces.

"Looking at the new dance studio, all white and no mirror, I am reminded of the days when the company first started. It was only two dancers," says Tao. "Now, we have new dancers, who are born after 2000, as well as dancers who have been with us for as long as seven years. It's promising."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn