Body, ideology, contemporary

Usually, when one hears of Chinese performing arts, the mind goes to the same set of images: the iconic movements of Peking opera, the physical bravura of acrobats and contortionists, the colossal group choreographies. Postcards from an exotic China, far away in time and space, difficult to reconcile with our (European) idea of “contemporary”. Suggestive snapshots that tickle the imagination while inferring a substantial, irreconcilable difference between “them” and “us”.

Beyond this two-dimensional portrait that the media constantly reproduce, there are not one, but several Chinas. Chinese contemporary dance well reflects this multiplicity: a mutable reality where tradition and experimentation coexist, and interact in complex ways. “Body, Ideology, Contemporary” aims to explore such complexity and offer a broad overview of Chinese performing arts to the Italian and European audience.

Five emerging choreographers present their work through performances and workshops. At the centre of their research, the body and the ideological forces that influence, shape and define it. From Lian Guodong/Lei Yan’s body as a place of resistance, to Wu Hui’s and Yu Yanan’s body as a receptacle of memory; from Er Gao’s provocative queer body, to Tian Tian‘s archaeological reconstruction of the body. In addition to the performance section, the program offers many opportunities for an in-depth understanding, including lectures by academic personalities, meetings with the artists, and public events joined by Italian dance artists too. Visuality will also play a central role, with video materials presenting seminal personalities and works from Chinese contemporary dance artists.

Fabrizio Massini, curator

Programme
	Thu, May 9 Università degli Studi | Florence DANCE IN CHINA BETWEEN TRADITION AND CONTEMPORARY LECTURE Lecture, presented by Valentina Pedone, director of Istituto Confucio Università di Firenze, with Fabrizio Massini, curator, director of S.E.T.A., and Tian Tian (Phd), choreographer and as Beijing Dance Academy associated professor… Read all
	Thu, May 9 – Fri, May 10 PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence WU HUI THE GREAT WAVE This performance originates from an old lady’s reminiscence, zooming in on the disruption unleashed on people by the “great waves” of life. In her long life, Wu Hui‘s grandmother has ridden many waves: the civil war, the communist revolution, the cultural revolution… Read all
	Fri, May 10 – Sat, May 11 PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence LIAN GUODONG | LEI YAN I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING A solo piece co-created by Lian Guodong and Lei Yan. The exploration they wanted to make was finding a path from concrete reality to the imagery of body, by objects and actions. Meanwhile, they tried to discover a kind of power beyond physical movement’s design… Read all
	Sat, May 11 PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence BODY, IDEOLOGY AND  CONTEMPORARY TALK Usually, when one hears of Chinese performing arts, the mind goes to the same set of images: the iconic movements of Peking opera, the physical bravura of acrobats and contortionists, Chinese contemporary dance well reflects this multiplicity… Read all
	Sat, May 11 PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence TIAN TIAN PEAR GARDEN and YONG 2 Pear Garden is a dance adaptation of one of the forms of traditional Chinese opera dating back to the Song era (960-1270 D.C.). Yong 2 is an original composition inspired by the miniatures of the Han era (202 A.C. – 220 D.C.) representing young girls in the act of dancing… Read all
	Sat, May 11 PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence YU YANAN PING PONG Ping Pong is a journey of investigation into the relationship between body and ideology, with the culture acting as a medium. Recalling the childhood spent practicing ping pong, the Chinese national sport, Yu Yanan reflects on the body as a malleable material… Read all
	Sat, May 11 PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence ER GAO POLLI D’ALLEVAMENTO Polli d’allevamento is the result of a workshop that Er Gao conducted in Florence, a continuation of the video project This is a chicken coop (2016). A video work focuses on the wild modernization / urbanization process that has taken place in China over the past 30 years… Read all
	Sun, May 12 PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence EXCHANGE OF PRACTICES WITH YU YANAN AND JACOPO JENNA Exchange of practices and presentation of their own artistic research with Yu Yanan, Chinese choreographer and teacher, and Jacopo Jenna, choreographer, performer, videomaker, open to dancers and performers interested in deepening the theme of intercultural exchange… Read all
	Thu, May 9 –  Sun, may 12 PARC Performing Arts Research Centre | Florence SITE- SPECIFIC VIDEO INSTALLATION  CURATED BY FABRIZIO MASSINI Willy Tsao, Helen Lai, Sang Jijia, Er Gao, Wen Hui, Paper Tiger, Hu Qingzhe… Read all