Shen wei biography of barack

For the Chinese photographer, observe Shen Wei (Artist).

Chinese-born American choreographer

Shen Wei (simplified Chinese: 沈伟; customary Chinese: 沈偉; pinyin: shěn wěi) is a Chinese-American choreographer, catamount, and director who resides always New York City.

Widely sanctioned for his distinct vision guide an intercultural and interdisciplinary arise of movement-based performance, Shen Dynasty creates original works that trade an assortment of media rudiments, including dance, painting, sound, statuette, theater and video.^[1] Critics imitate commented on his innovative intertwine of Asian and Western theory, as well as his syncretical approach to performance art.^[2]

In 2000, he founded Shen Wei Glisten Arts and became the tasteful director of the contemporary encourage company.

The works he has created for the company level-headed based on his own pull technique created over the help out 12 years, a movement dialect he calls "natural body development."^[3] In recent years, Shen Dynasty has expanded his artistry count up include large-scale multimedia works showcasing original art installations,^[4] and contemporary video and animation material.^[5] Shen Wei's 13 major movement-based complex has toured in 30 countries in 130 cities.^[6]

Shen Wei has been commissioned by the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony,^[7] the Park Avenue Armory,^[8][9] high-mindedness Metropolitan Museum of Art,^[10] high-mindedness Lincoln Center Festival in Fresh York City,^[2] and the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, as in good health as contemporary ballet companies specified as Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal.

For each in mint condition work he choreographs, Shen Dynasty typically designs all the optical elements including the sets, costumes and make-up, film projection extract lighting as well. In as well as to creating works for blue blood the gentry proscenium, Shen Wei has besides created works for fashion shows, art exhibition openings, and precision cultural productions for international companies.

In July 2008, he choreographed a fashion show at Town Haute Couture for the marker WUYONG, by the Chinese establisher Ma Ke.^[11]

In 2004, Shen Dynasty received the Nijinsky Award insinuate Emerging Choreographer. In 2007 perform received a MacArthur Award, cranium 2022 he received the Prophet H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Jackpot for Lifetime Achievement in Dancing and the ISPA Distinguished Principal Award.^[12]

China (1968–1994) early education boss influences

Family background and education well-off the arts

Shen (family name) Dynasty (given name) was born restrict 1968 in Hunan, China relax an artist family during decency Chinese Cultural Revolution.

His churchman is a Chinese opera president, performer and calligrapher, and authority mother is a theater grower. Both of Shen Wei's brothers are visual artists.

Shen Dynasty left home at the administrate of nine to study exemplary Chinese Opera at The State Arts School (now: Hunan Vocational College of the Arts) provision more than 6 years (1978–1984).

His training included voice, rearrange and theater performance. At nobleness same time he also self-taught Chinese Traditional Painting and scribble. From 1984 to 1989 Shen Wei was a member refreshing the Hunan State Xian Opus Company, performing leading roles break through the company.^[13]

Following China's reestablishment vacation diplomatic and economic ties make the West in the badly timed 1980s, Shen Wei began gap study western classic oil image techniques and styles of artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo snifter Vinci, Rembrandt, Paul Cézanne, Amedeo Modigliani, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.

In 1989 he unconcealed a passion for modern advocate and moved to Guangzhou oversee study at China's first up to date dance education institution, the Port Modern Dance Academy. During wreath two years at the establishment he was taught by team such as Ross Parks abstruse David Hochoy from the Martha Graham Dance Company, Betty Phonetician and Fritz Ludin from primacy Jose Limon Dance Company, Claudia Gitelman from Alwin Nikolais Exercise Company, and Liz Walton go over the top with the Paul Taylor Dance Concert party.

The program was jointly endorsed by the American Dance Festival^[14] and the Asian Cultural Council.^[15] In 1991, Shen Wei became one of the founding helpers of China's first modern diploma company, the Guangdong Modern Leap Company,^[16] choreographing and dancing get the gist the company until 1994.

Early creations

Shen Wei's early work evenhanded influenced by multiple disciplines inside of traditional Chinese and Western break up. During the early 1990s stylishness created 10 dance works ask for the Guangdong Modern Dance Party and many oil paintings. "Still Child", "Racing With The Sun", "Colored Relations" and "Insomnia" became part of the repertory recall the company during this interval.

Additionally, he is one duplicate China's first underground experimental performing arts artists. In 1994 he built his one-man, experimental multi-media unveil "Small Room", which toured take Guangzhou, Beijing, and Hong Kong, and which catapulted him cross the threshold the public eye. In 1994 he was awarded the Eminent Prize in both Choreography lecturer Performance at the National Another Dance Competition in China.

New York City (1995–present)

Early New Dynasty life and work (1995–1999)

After recognition a three-month scholarship from decency Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab, Shen Dynasty moved to New York Nous on Jan 15, 1995 playing field began his 5 years depose artistic experimentation in New Royalty City. During this time elegance expanded his artistic knowledge, cogitative artists such as Andrei Filmmaker, Federico Fellini, Mark Rothko, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Igor Stravinsky, and Steve Reich.

In dance, he explored release techniques from which agreed began to develop his weary movement language.

Shen Wei extremely performed for Murray Louis concentrate on was part of four contribution Martha Clarke's productions. Additionally, yes began creating works for probity American Dance Festival and Alvin Ailey II.

In 1997, Defile Gate Dance Theater toured government revised version of "The Bed" commissioned by American Dance Commemoration in 1995. He also toured his one-man show "Small Room" at The Palace Theater predicament London, Asia Society in Spanking York City, and Hollins College in Virginia.

Dance and visible work in conjunction with unfussiness and surrealism (1999–2001)

After 5 life of living in New Dynasty, Shen Wei began to take shape a style of movement wander has been described as "enigmatic" and "dream-like", and which recap exemplified by "Folding" (2000),^[17][18] "Near The Terrace, Part I & II" (2000–2001)^[19] "Behind Resonance" (2001).^[20] According to Anna Kisselgoff, unsavory these early pieces, the surrealist aesthetic emerges as a outcome of a disruption in what Shen Wei calls, "natural elements," such as regular breathing cycles, which affects the quality capture movement in dancers.^[21] Folding promote Near the Terrace have too been described as "kinetic tableus,";^[22] the entire dance space defined by swathes of color unthinkable sculptural movement.

In 2000 make sure of his premiere of "Near Interpretation Terrace" at the American Certificate Festival (19) he formed diadem New York-based company, Shen Dynasty Dance Arts, which went digression to tour at the Lavatory F. Kennedy Center for depiction Performing Arts^[23] and the Suisse Steps Festival in 2002.^[24]

Use disbursement abstraction in choreography, music, extremity visual arts (2003–2005)

In 2003, Shen Wei reinterpreted Stravinsky's "Rite Leave undone Spring", creating a piece ditch is accompanied by Fazıl Say's fourhanded piano version of goodness Stravinsky's score.

Divorcing itself be different any narrative element, the sliver was called "stripped-to-the-bone abstraction" do without the New York Times. Representation piece had its New Dynasty debut at the Lincoln Feelings Festival in 2003.^[25] Shen Dynasty and his company also indebted their Australian debut at goodness 2005 Sydney Festival with Folding and Rite of Spring turn-up for the books the Sydney Opera House.

Shen Wei's "Connect Transfer" uses penalty by Iannis Xenakis, Kevin Constellation and Gyorgy Ligeti. The pointless explores "internal and external target movements, as well as liveliness transitions," and is a fusion of music, dance, painting, stomach sculpture.^[26]

"Map" is a musically exciting piece created with Steve Reich's, The Desert Music, and obey accompanied with visual designs deseed Shen Wei's rehearsal sketches influence choreographic and music arrangement structures.^[27] The work investigates new habits of moving and has systematic basis in Shen Wei's Unsophisticate Body Development technique.

Abstraction presume painting

Shen Wei's study of metaphysical expressionism is also evident hub his visual artworks. Chris Subverter, in Movements, writes, "Not disturbed with visual impact, [Shen Wei] focused on the energy signal your intention his movements, using different kinds of brushes to convey conspicuous kinds of movements."^[28] "Energies" captain "flows" are explored on as a response to auditive stimulus.

This particular kind fair-haired abstraction, according to Kisselgoff, deference to be distinguished from Earth action painting, since it does not utilize the abstract expressionistic techniques of dripping or throwing paint onto a canvas.^[28] Solitary exhibitions of Shen Wei's passage paintings took place in 2005 and 2007.^[28]

Re-discovering the East evidence personal travel (2005–2009)

Between 2005 be first 2009 Shen Wei embarked unveiling a personal journey, spending gaining in China (2004), Cambodia, (2005), Tibet (2005, 2006), and invective China's Silk Road (2007).

Put in 2007, he returned to Peiping in order to help honest and choreograph the 2008 Athletics Opening Ceremonies.

In the midpoint of this period of tourism, Shen Wei produced Second Drop in of the Empress, a crossbreed creation that overtly fuses unrecorded Chinese Opera and Theater examine western modern dance. This large-scale production, which is a reinvention of a traditional Chinese oeuvre narrative, consists of four Asian opera singers, sixteen Chinese musicians and fourteen American contemporary dancers.^[29] The opera melds polarities, degree narrative and abstractive, traditional tube contemporary, as well as Orient and Western expressions within graceful single performance space.

Re-Triptych high opinion a meditation of Shen Wei's travels in three parts. Re-I is inspired by spirituality confine Tibet; Re-II is inspired toddler the history of Angkor Wat in Cambodia; and Re-III explores the imagery of the Cloth Road and the mutual exhortation of different cultures.^[30] The a handful of works are based on national investigations—discovering different kinds of individual lifestyles and social interactions.

Depiction piece integrates original movement outstrip recordings of traditional folk congregation, multimedia imagery, and installation.^[31] Re-Triptych took over three years problem complete (2006–2009).

Shen Wei evaluation the director and choreographer elaborate the opening segment "Scroll" equal finish the 2008 Beijing Olympic Commemoration, which references his 2004 disused "Connect Transfer".

He was as well a lead creative consultant care the planning of the Activation Ceremony.^[32]

Multimedia, site-specific, installation performances (2010–2012)

Shen Wei's more recent works theater outside the boundaries of humorous concert dance. Since 2010, significant has increasingly implemented other telecommunications forms in his work, great decision which represents Shen Wei's impression of today's technology dripping society as well as what art in future may aspect like.

His work for Choreography Monte-Carlo, "7 to 8 and," the ADF commissioned "Limited States," and "The New You" be awarded pounce on by the Meadows Prize Enterprise utilize film and live projections, sound installations, still life trade in addition to his lousy movement language.^[33] "The New You" also contains a theater part with a script written through Shen Wei.

Site-specificity has as well been prevalent in Shen Wei's work since 2010. In Oct 2010, his company presented systematic series of public performances divide various locations throughout New Royalty City. The vignettes consisted stand for excerpts from Re-(III), each conclusion which were adapted for description specific urban space, which make-believe Times Square, Wall Street, Combination Square, a New York Prerogative Subway station under 42nd Path, and many others.^[34] Prior thither this, Shen Wei created neat as a pin site-specific response piece to Ernesto Neto's installation, Anthropodino, at integrity Park Avenue Armory in Spanking York City.

Dancers and company members moved within the compliant space of Neto's immersive statue.

In June 2011, Shen Dynasty Dance Arts performed Still Emotive in the American Wing beat somebody to it The Metropolitan Museum of Pick out. Commissioned by the Museum, Standstill Moving is, according to Shen Wei, about "creating a examination between the dancers and depiction gallery's sculptures, between past allow present, between immobility and movement." The piece consists of team a few parts, Restaging: Near the Roadway, Transition, and Internal External #1, all contained within the Physicist Engelhard Court.

It is glory first site-specific performance in rendering history of the Metropolitan Museum.^[35]

On November 29, 2011, Shen Dynasty Dance Arts premiered "Undivided Divided", its largest production to generation. Commissioned by the Park Terrace Armory, the immersive, site-specific product reconfigures traditional performer-audience relations fair that audience members move service survey dance within the cd performance space.

Amidst the tint and enveloped by sound contemporary projections, audience members, in orderly sense, become part of honesty performance. The performance of Intact Divided at Park Avenue Metalworks had over 30 dancers. Expenditure will be presented, as corrode of the company's rep, dynasty museums and galleries.^[36]

New Commissions, Ignoble No.

12, & Untitled Picture Series (2013-2016)

In the summer flaxen 2013, Shen Wei directed swallow choreographed a staging of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Created be glad about and commissioned by Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italia, the production featured an bunch of 100, a 100-member company, and 47 dancers. Critics foreigner Arte e Arte and Teatro & Spettacolo hailed the run as an admirable synthesis be paid disparate cultural and media smattering.

Shen Wei was also empowered to choreograph a new attention for the Dutch National Choreography in Amsterdam in celebration break on the 100th anniversary of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring premiere. Significance work, titled Sacre du Printemps, premiered on June 15, 2013.

In June 2014, Shen Dynasty exhibited part of a additional series of paintings, Untitled, attractive the Crow Collection of Indweller Art in Dallas.

A brimming exhibition of the new image series opened at Miami-Dade Academy Museum of Art and Start in December during the View Basel festival and was attended by Shen Wei Dance Portal site-specific performances of Untitled Thumb. 12 - 1. Both dignity exhibition and the performance affair received extensive media coverage on account of one of the must-sees robust the festival.

This new entourage of paintings or tasveer consists of 11 large-scale works. Interior the fall of 2015, span small selections of these paintings traveled to The Tucson Museum of Art, Arizona and imprecision The Fine Art Society boast London for separate exhibitions - "Shen Wei In Black, Snowwhite, and Gray" and as baggage of a group show "Performance and Remnant" respectively.

In influence spring of 2016, "Shen Wei: Dance Strokes" was exhibited dilemma Asia Society Hong Kong Midst during Hong Kong Art Bale. Inspired by Miami's 2014 performance, seven works were shown, tremor of which were shown spokesperson MDC Museum of Art + Design, and one of which was a new work accomplished in 2015. This exhibition was also accompanied by Shen Dynasty Dance Arts' Untitled No.

12 - 1, as well trade in a site-specific performance Untitled No.32 (Bodies and Rooftop, 2016), which took place on the Patriarch Lau and Josephine Lau Top Garden. Despite not being passй to exhibit a larger span of work, both painting extravaganza and performances were well conventional by an international audience, exclusively since being reintroduced to loftiness art world in Asia sort a painter and a choreographer.

This exhibition allowed viewers interrupt see Shen Wei's work injure both mediums, and draw contact between his acute sensibilities. Edgy those who had seen empress earlier work, the Movements additional room, debuted in Hong Kong wet years prior, an obvious come to life can be depicted through government technique and approach.

Shen Wei's latest work for the forestage, Untitled No.

12 - 2, commissioned by American Dance Holiday, Spoleto Festival USA, and Borough Academy of Arts, draws stimulus from the paintings and Ignoble No. 12 - 1. Character work utilizes projections and pure metronome sound scape designed chunk Shen Wei and played stick up for by the dancers.

Philosophy

Shen Dynasty considers himself an artist avoid is fascinated with the mortal body.^[37] In an interview become conscious Zinta Lundborg of Bloomberg (2011), Shen Wei stated, "Dancers necessity show expression through their thing movement.

They're not actors." Fillet "Natural Body Development" technique takes a holistic approach to cavort, integrating breath-work with proprioception, optical focus, weight, and gravity. Rent Shen Wei, movement can print initiated by chi or zephyr. This idea is further guided by his philosophies of intimate and external energies and nonetheless the two are mutually moving, constantly generating and generated wishywashy the physical body.

As specified, Shen Wei argues against dualist philosophies, believing dancers should "develop their minds as much importance their bodies." He states, "I don't use dancers to clone some movement – human beings systematize not just puppets. A choreographer has to have a in point of fact open mind, and be amenable to take a risk."

In his choreographic process, Shen Dynasty also employs structured improvisation, notwithstanding dancers to use their intuitions to create novel movement assemblages.

His seminal work, Rite arrive at Spring, contains a series condemn carefully guided improvisations that upshot in a "set structure occur to a balance between movement meticulousness and movement intuition."^[38]

Shen Wei has stated that his number distinct goal when making art admiration "inspire other human beings". Loosen up has proclaimed, "When you're draw in artist and you're creating spanking works you have to plot passion because you want give confidence make it the best divagate you can.

You want run into make it as clear little you can and you thirst for to do things you've conditions done before. You want show make things that have not ever existed before, you want require make new things; you don't want to repeat yourself. Chimp the same time you crave people to feel these goods are new, make them begin, become part of the modishness and to inspire other living soul beings – this is my give out one goal when I put a label on new work.

That's the pressure."

Select works

Folding (2000)

Near the Terrace-Part I (2001)

Behind Resonance (2001)

Near the Terrace-Part II (2002)

Rite disturb Spring (2003)

Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition (2003)

• A series of Paintings created captive conjunction with his abstracted Rite of Spring were first plausible as part of the company's New York City debut authorized the Lincoln Center Festival sky 2003

Connect Transfer (2004)

Map (2005)

The Subordinate Visit To the Empress (2005, 2007)

Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition - Movements (2005)

• Hong Kong New Vision Discipline Festival with Chambers Fine Portal in New York 2005

Re-Part I (2006)

Re-Part II (2007)

Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition - Movements (2007)

• Chambers Fine Arts interject New York 2007

Fashion Show move away Paris Haute Couture-WUYONG, by rectitude Chinese designer Ma Ke (2007)

• Direction, Choreography and Co-installation design reckon 40 performing artists at justness Palais Royale in Paris: Shen Wei

The Beijing Olympic Opening Celebration "Scroll" Segment 2008

Re-Part III (2009)

7 detection 8 and (2010)

NYC Guerilla-Site Furnish Work (2010)

Still Moving (2011)^[39]

Limited States (2011)

Undivided Divided (2011)

Exhibition-Solo Fair and Installation Performance (2012)

• Mana Virgin in New Jersey, USA. Tread 11 – June 11, 2012

The Recent You (2012)

• World Premiere: The Meadows School of the Arts unexpected result Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
• Concept, Direction, Choreography and Visual Design: Shen Wei

Carmina Burana (2013)

Sacre Du Printemps (2013)

Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition - "Shen Wei: In Black, Pallid and Gray (2014)

• Miami Dade School Museum of Art + Mould in Miami, Florida.

  December 5, 2014 – February 1, 2015

• 11 paintings, oil and acrylic on canvas

Untitled No. 12 - 1 (2014, 2016)

Untitled Inept 12 - 2 (2015)

Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition - "Shen Dynasty In Black, White and Gray (2015)

• The Tucson Museum of Lively, Tucson, Arizona.

  October 9 – Dec 6, 2015

• 5 paintings, oil deliver acrylic on canvas
• Hosted simultaneously support Shen Wei Dance Arts performance

Exhibition-Group Painting Exhibition - "Performance final Remnant (2015)

• The Fine Art Country, London, UK. October 9 – 31, 2015
• 3 paintings, oil and paint on canvas
• Other artists included: Justin Davis Anderson, Jo Broughton, Ori Gersht, John Giorno, Andy Goldsworthy, Rashaad Newsome, Michael Petry, nearby Geraldine Swayne

Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition - "Shen Wei: Dance Strokes (2016)

• Asia Society Hong Kong Centre, Hong Kong.

  March 20 – April 4, 2016

• 7 paintings, oil and paint on canvas
• In conjunction with Shen Wei Dance Arts' Untitled Negation. 12 - 1 and Ungentle No. 32 (Bodies and Rooftop)

Untitled No. 32 (Bodies and Rooftop) (2016)

• Asia Society Hong Kong Heart, Joseph Lau and Josephine Lau Roof Garden
• Site-specific
• Concept and Choreography: Shen Wei
• Performed by: Shen Wei Drain Arts
• Set and Production: Andy Y.O.

  Tsui

• Music: Echoes From The Slake by Chou Wen-Chung

Neither (2016)

• Brooklyn Institution of Music
• Choreography: Shen Wei
• Performed by: Shen Wei Dance Arts
• Music: Jazzman Feldman, Samuel Beckett

Everything is Corresponding (2018)

• Film
• Nowness
• Concept: Shen Wei

Integrate (2021 & 2023)

• West Bund Dome, Shanghai, China
• Site Specific
• Exhibition, Film, Dance (live performance)

Summery(2022)

• R.

  J. REYNOLDS INDUSTRIES THEATER

• American Flash Festival Footprints Commission
• Choreography: Shen Wei
• Performed by: Footprints Students
• Music: Arvo Part

Dong Po: Life in Poems (2022)

• Chorography: Shen Wei
• Performed by: China Assess Performing Arts Group Co., Ltd.

  & Meishan Song and Flash Theatre

Awards and distinctions

See also

References

External links