Tao Dance Theater

Melbournians are so privileged to have this new tri-annual Asian Performance Arts Festival in Melbourne;  ‘A festival celebrating Australia’s connections with contemporary Asia’.

From China we are honored to experience Tao Dance Theater’s works ‘6’ and ‘8’, performed for us by a marvelous troupe of young Chinese dancers.

As a truly exceptional and unusual experience, hopefully all Melbourne’s young dancers and choreographers will be/have been able to catch a performance.

‘6’ premiered in Sweden in 2014.  Its costumes are dark and dancers hold a blanket or cape like piece of material in front of themselves, rendering their arms fairly static.  The lighting is low, which provokes longing to see it illuminate faces.  This marvelously hypnotic work just pulls us in.  I imagine it is not dissimilar to watching Sufi Whirling Dervishes.

‘8’ is performed solely on the floor.  Initially it presents some confusion as to whether the bodies are placed facing up or down.  The costumes are a kind of dusty grey, or appear to be dusty grey under Tao Ye and Ma Yue’s integrated lighting design.  Watching the weight of the bodies being lifted and falling on the floor moving from the front to the back of the stage is truly fascinating.  Initially I was reminded of the floppy cuddly dacron filled dolls my sisters had when we were kids.  This is a darker and more troubling work and not as hypnotic as ‘6’.   There is, at times, a sense of desperation in the oppression of the dancers’ bodies remaining on the floor.

It is extraordinary watching dancers rigidly perform such uniform work.   Yet as both works progress and bodies function in a more fluid and hypnotic way a beguiling essence of individuality emerges from the dancers.

Both the piano music in ‘8’ and electric strings of ‘6’, credited to Xiao He are superb.

A unique and rare opportunity.

Suzanne Sandow

Photographer: Mark Gambino.

Credits

Music – Xiao He

Lighting Design – Ellen Ruge

Executive Lighting – Ma Yue (‘6’ and ‘8’) Ma Yue (‘8)

Costume Design – Tao Ye, Li Min (‘6’) Tao Ye, Duan Ni (‘8’)

Rehearsal Director – Duan Ni

Dancers:  Fu Liwei, Mao Xue, Li Shunjie, Yu Jinying, Haung Li,  Ming Da (‘6’ and ‘8’) Hu Jin, Yan Yulin (‘8)