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Feast your eyes on this imaginative performance!

Conceived and created by independent choreographers, Lian Guodong and Lei Yan, A POEM ABOUT THE UNKNOWN reflexes upon the development of science and technology and future exploration. The work focuses on human beings and life and incorporates poetry and history in the conceptual language. Liberated from the constraints of time and space, this work perceives the present and spreads its imagination about the future in full curiosity. With the help of media, the audience will feel closely connected to the stage.

The three dancers create a poem about the unknown with their bodies. Reaching beyond the limit of time and space, they try to demonstrate the change, evolution and extinction of things. Reviewing everything with curiosity and creativity, this show redefines the value of art and the meaning of life.

Introduction:

Following the full-speed expansion of technology, enormous changes are affecting all aspects of life as well as contemporary art. So called “Artificial Intelligence” and genetic engineering are a prefiguration of the future that will affect our thinking and bring about an evolution of the human race. Following this hypothesis, our works investigate the changes the human body could undergo; the possible routes humanity could embark on; the new definitions or paradigms art might find.

In our exploration, three dancers will compose A POEM ABOUT THE UNKNOWN using their bodies. Engaging a wide time scale, looking at life’s change, extinction, evolution. Casting a gaze full of imagination and curiosity, a gaze that will turn and look back at ourselves as humans. A poem written to, and about, the unknown. A message that will perhaps come back to us. An action happening in the present, in the past, and in the future.

By examining texts about the Unknown written long ago, A POEM ABOUT THE UNKNOWN re-reads prefigurations of the future that were written in the past: from Artaud`s “Theatre and the Plague” to John Perry Barlow`s “A Declaration of the Independence of the Cyberspace”, all the way to the first Electronic Mail ever written from China to a lab in Karlsruhe, Germany. The visions of technological media described in these texts are the starting point of our POEM ABOUT THE UNKNOWN. In particular, our work discusses the meanings that different media take in societies as different as China, Germany and Italy.

Directors’ Notes:

The earliest inspiration for this work is the concept of “post-life”, and the changes caused by technological advancement. However, our direction does not point to technologically sophisticated mise-en-scene or special effects. Instead, we depart from the human body, investigating the relations between bodies, objects, and events. And, from the interplay between these, we want to restructure, to single out a different presence, to investigate new chemical reactions. While at the same time testing the limits of the body itself. The material we selected is rooted in the present, yet it prefigures visions of the future.

At the same time, this works wants to maintain a trait of openness, and not limit itself within the level of technology. The textual material we selected includes scientific theories, daily news, artistic manifestos from the past. These texts will exist in a dialogue with our research into the future.

Willing to look at existence within a wider time scale, we dare to imagine a different existence, beyond the currently known physics, re-imagining life’s change, extinction, evolution. From this point of view, the body in itself is the language of life; how to speak this language, is the goal of this exploration.

Creative Team:

Director: Lian Guodong
Choreographer: Lei Yan
Performers: Fan Lu, Qian Tingting, Xu Yiming
Light design: Wang Jingjing
Sound design: Letizia Renzini
Visual design: Qiu Yu
Costumes: Zhang Sisi
Video/Photos: Fan Cong
Dramaturg: Kai Tuchmann
Producer: Fabrizio Massini
Assistant Producer: Xu Li
Commissioned by: YAP – Young Artist Platform for Dance (China)
Co-producers: Fabbrica Europa (Italy), Goethe-Institut / International Coproduction Fund, Theater im Pumpenhaus (Germany), Shanghai International Dance Center Theater (China)
Special thanks: Yabin Studio, Fei Yu Dance Studio, Xuelian Fang Studio, Beijing Chiao Kon Kee Culture Communication
Special project in collaboration with Beijing International New Dance Showcase 2020

Director: Lian Guodong

Born in Beijing, working and living in Beijing.

He started dance creation during his college career majoring in literature. He has been training in Beijing Modern Dance Company since 2002. In 2004 and 2005, he joined the Jinxing Dance Company and LDTX Modern Dance Company.

In 2006, he became an independent choreographer and dancer, collaborating with different artists. He has performed in Hamburg Kampnagel Art Center, Munich Indoor Theater, Hamburg World Theater Festival, etc.

In 2010, he was invited to participate in the "Beyond-China" international dance project of the Dutch Emio Greco/PC Dance Company. In 2012, he won a full scholarship to participate in the American Dance Festival. Since 2008, his creations have been featured in Beijing "Crossover" Art Festival, Shanghai "Cross Boundary" Art Festival, etc. His main works include "Mind Image", "Time" and "Moment". In 2018, he and Lei Yan co-created work "I Didn't Say Anything" premiered at UCCA in Beijing, and was invited to the China Contemporary Dance Biennale, Fabbrica Europa, etc.

Choreographer: Lei Yan

Born in Hubei, Lei Yan is based in Beijing.

Graduated in 2006 from Beijing Dance Academy she stayed on to teach. Since 2008, she has worked in the theater as a free dancer. From 2009 to 2011, she joined the Beijing Mordern Dance Company. From 2011 to 2014, she joined Tao Dance Company.

Her independent work "Dreams Cannot Enter Reality" was selected for the Caochangdi Youth Choreographer Program and performed at the Beijing Cross Art Festival, Shanghai Yuejie Art Festival, and Guangdong Dance Festival.

Since 2011, she performed in Paper Tiger Studio productions including: "Extremely Unclear", "500 Meters-Kafka, Great Wall, Unreal World Images and Heroism in Daily Life", etc.

In June 2018, her work "I Didn't Say Anything" premiered at UCCA in collaboration with Lian Guodong, and was invited to the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art "Julie" Art Festival, China Contemporary Dance Biennale, Fabbrica Europa, etc.

Since 2015 she was invited to give workshops in numerous occasions. In 2016, Lei and her husband Lian Guodong established the "Lei Dong Workstation" to hold workshops, promote exchange between local and foreign artists, and provide venue support for theater creators.

Performer: Xu Yiming

Xu Yiming is a dancer, choreographer, and co-founder of YouJi Farm group in 2018. He has been working as performer in: “500 Meters: Kafka, Great Wall, Unreal World Images and Heroism in Daily Life” and “Extremely Unclear” for Paper Tiger Studio; as concept designer, choreographer, performer in “Stick Tiger Chicken” for Youji Farm group.

Yiming has performed in numerous modern dance pieces including: “Twenty-Four Solar Terms”, “Tsing Yi”, “A Dream Is Like”, “The World”, “Growing”, “She Says”, “This Land is Your Land”, “Double Down the Mountain”, “Painted Skin”, “Guihua”， “The Rite of Spring”.

His choreography piece “So and So” has participated to the China-Dutch Art Festival, Beijing Dance Biweekly Youth Dance Exhibition, and the 4th Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition (Third Place).

The piece “After Dark” won Third Place in the 4th Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition. Other works include “The Metamorphosis” and “A Play Like Life” (First Place at the 5th Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition).

Performer: Fan Lu

Fan Lu received a BA in dance education and an MA in in choreography from the Minzu University of China. She has worked as a dancer in Beijing LDTX Dance Company. Currently Lu wors as independent choreographer and dancer.

Lu was invited to perform in Beijing Dance Festival, Guangzhou Modern Dance Week, Hong Kong Urban Contemporary Art Festival, Shanghai International Arts Festival, American Salad Festival, Israel Tel Aviv Dance Festival, etc. She has also visited the United States, India, Lebanon, Tunisia, Poland, Germany, Israel, Russia, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and more for artistic exchanges.

She performed in numerous works including "Fade Monologue", "Circle", "First Sacrifice", "Speeding", "Ta ShaXing", "Predetermined Darkness", "Long March: Nine Deaths", "The 360th Seed", "The Origin", "Beyond the Horizon", " Waiting", "Empty Room", "Twilight Line" and "Puppet". She also performed in the pieces "No Man's Land" commissioned by Shanghai International Festival’s Rising Artisits’ Works, and “Hello strangeness" and "No island" commissioned by YAP.

Her personal works include: "Manzhushahua", "Travelling in Three", "Suffocation", "Return", "Inside the Game, Beyond the Rules", "Life is Like a Play”.

Performer: Qian Tingting

Qian Tingting is an independent dancer, choreographer, teacher. Her work "Cold People" was selected for the 2019 Shanghai Rising Artists’ Works (RAW) at Shanghai International Arts Festival.

From 2016 to 2020 she joined D.LAB DANCE as emerging dancer and chief instructor. In July 2020 she was invited by Xie Xin Dance Theater as a guest teacher of XDT·E. From 2014 to 2015 she joined Tao Dance Company and participated in the tour of "6" and "7" in OzAsia Australia-Asia Festival and Dance Umbrella Festival.

In 2017-2018, she parformed in Du Yanhao's "Miniature Space", Hu Songwei's "Mirage|No Man's Land", Xu Fangyi and Artist Project-"Salute", premiered in Taipei. In 2016, she participated to Zheng Jie's "Anonymous Letter", Matan Zamir's "Icosahedron-Metamorphosis", andLi Hanzhong's and Mo Bo's work "Nine Deaths in a Life". In 2015, she participated in Yin Fang's work "Dou Gong".

About "Youth Incubator Platform"

Shanghai International Dance Center Theater Youth Incubator Platform (hereinafter referred to as "youth incubator platform") is a platform for young dance artists in China who have room for growth and development to communicate and display, sponsored and established by the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater. It provides creative resources, funding, publicity and exchange and learning opportunities for outstanding young dancers, promoting development and catalyzing innovation. It provides a new window for Chinese original dance works to go out of the country and into the world.