TAO Dance Theater / Tao Ye 13 & 14
China
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A cohesive and persistent physical exploration of body and rhythm
In 2022, the fourteenth year since the founding of TAO Dance Theater, the China-based company faced the possibility of dissolution. The dance company underwent a new transformation after the crisis. This rupture marked a decisive turning point in its artistic journey towards a new bodily language driven by an internal rhythm. This moment also marked the birth of two new dance works, 13 and 14.
In 13, dancers connect to form a unified whole, a collective of bodies that move and shift. Using collisions, falls and rebounds, they embody the three distinct forms of performance: solo, duet and ensemble.
14 embarks on a new exploration of rhythm and transformation. Featuring a clock-like soundscape and TAO Dance Theater’s signature circular choreography, the piece traverses the infinite possibilities between motion and stillness.
Header image description: Fourteen dancers are captured mid movement. They appear to be spinning with their heads down and arms up. They wear loose shirts and trousers, each in a different bold colour.
Header image © Duan Ni
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About the contender
TAO Dance Theater is a contemporary dance company founded by Tao Ye, Duan Ni and Wang Hao in 2008. The dance works Numerical Series created by the company have toured internationally, with the company becoming one of the most sought-after Chinese contemporary dance companies on the international stage. In 2023, the company won the Silver Lion Award of Dance at La Biennale di Venezia.
In 2024, TAO Dance Theater established the second dancer group called TAO Dance Theater 2. The dancers are not limited to any age, occupation, or nationality, which means that the performances more closely reflect life and deconstruct the boundaries between the audience and performer.
The athletic control is remarkable…powerful drive, the physicality and momentum
The New York Times
Mind-pummelling visual rigour such as this, combined with faultless execution, has fast-tracked the minimalist dance of Tao Ye’s company on to the world stage.
The Guardian
It is easy to see why the choreographer and co founder Tao Ye has captured attention as a radical new presence on the country’s burgeoning contemporary dance scene.
The Times
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