This past Thursday, SWDA thrilled New York by popping up around the city for short street performances of RE-(III)!
The schedule was as follows:
Thursday October 28th
10am, 12pm & 9pm Duffy Square in Times Square
11am 42nd Street Subway
3pm Around Grand Central Station
7pm Union Square
Friday October 29th
11am Columbia University
12:30pm Wall Street
2:30pm Battery Park
4:30pm The Metropolitan Museum
7:30 DUMBO
Missed the performances? Join the Shen Wei Dance Arts Facebook Group to receive invitations to all the latest events!
Read our interview with SWDA dancer, Brandon Whited to get a sense of what was performed, how the crowd reacted, and what kind of performances Shen Wei has planned for the future. Don’t miss the next event on Friday, November 5th!
1. Guerilla performances–what a wonderful idea for an event! Has SWDA done anything like this before? Want to give us a hint about any cool performance ideas you are toying with for the future?
To my knowledge this is the first time SWDA has performed in this way. The nature of Shen Wei’s work as high art tends to thrive mainly in a controlled concert stage setting where he can create a different world on stage. I think the nature of Re- III and its fairly abstract style lends itself to this outdoor, guerilla style performance option. As far as I know, future plans in this format include guerilla style performances in other countries and cities, when possible, as we embark on tour. Likely after seeing how these last few days went, Shen Wei will be open to more like this.
2. How did the performances go in your opinion? Can you tell us a little bit about the choreography or describe the pieces in your own words?
Despite the challenges for us as dancers with two long days dancing on concrete and in the cold yesterday, I think we pulled off some very successful performances. I think in each setting we really tried to immerse ourselves in the surroundings completely. For this event we performed only Re- III. It is a piece that was born from Shen Wei’s experience traveling the length of the silk road. Re- III is a kind of expression of the clash of cultures he experienced as he traveled westward across China toward the Middle East where the gateway to the west for trade is located. That coupled with his experiences getting to know a new American culture, and more specifically the culture in New York City inspired Re- III. The piece is a look at the differences between the emphasis on individualism and collectivism in the cultures of the west and east respectively. It makes no effort to express that one or the other of these cultural essences is “right,” but simply holds a mirror to them as a means of understanding our differences and the value of both sensibilities. (These are my impressions and understandings of what Re-III is, not necessarily the direct words of Shen Wei.)
3. What was the crowd reaction like?
I found the crowds’ reactions to be extremely varied. Depending on where we were, the crowds responded to us as either a show or an experience. I found that when in front of the Library and the Met Museum the audience took on a quiet observational air, much like in a theatre setting. In Times Square, though, the space was the most defined like a stage, and the excited energetic people there tried to talk and interact with us while we were performing. In smaller settings that are even more guerilla style, I found that there was a more casual, playful energy. Some people down on Wall Street tried joining into our marching lines, sharing weight and even forming their own lines. It was very fun to see how different people in different settings responded to our work.
Don’t want to miss the next event? Here are the details:
Shen Wei Dance Arts Salon
Friday, November 5 ยท 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Location: Park Avenue Armory, 4th Floor
More Info:
In celebration of the SWDA Tenth Anniversary, Shen Wei will be creating new work and developing his vision for the future of the company. The Dance Salon is a rare opportunity to meet Shen Wei, guest artists, and company dancers for ‘behind-the-scenes’ presentations of the creative process and intimate dance performances.
Shen Wei took his dancers to the streets of NYC to perform excerpts of RE (III). The project will continue …around the world wherever the company performs and will be documented with video and photography, and disseminated on the Internet as a way of taking dance to the people. Join us to see how the project was conceived and how it related to Shen Wei’s vision for the future of modern dance, with live performance excerpts of RE (III).
Mark Ledzian is Director of n9 Productions and has been chronicling Shen Wei and his work, starting with the rehearsals for the guerrilla performances and the year ahead, filming interviews, dance performances, and other ventures. His documentaries about dance, musicians and artists capture the creative process and are formatted for the most current forms of technology. His work with SWDA will be at the cutting-edge of content formatted for the IPAD. Mark will be in conversation with Shen Wei about their collaboration and aspirations for the project. Moderated by France Pepper, Executive Director.
Registration: Space is limited, please pre-register by emailing dancesalon@shenweidancearts.org or call 212-962-1113.
Tickets: $15
Please arrive 15 minutes early for check in, and bring a photo ID.
