Beijing Dance Theater: Wild Grass

Part of 2014 Next Wave Festival 

Renowned for her alluring fusion of Chinese tradition with a fiercely modern sensibility, choreographer Wang Yuanyuan takes her latest inspiration from Chinese literary giant Lu Xun. Emboldened by the expression of survival in his 1927 poetry collection Wild Grass, Wang created this radiant work that celebrates our natural will to persevere.

Comprising three movements—“Dead Fire,” “Farewell of the Shadow,” and “Dance of Extremity”—Wild Grass unfolds as an evocative abstraction of Lu’s volatile elemental landscapes, accompanied by solo piano, strings, and experimental electronica. White paper leaves scatter underfoot as dancers alternate between balletic grace and tension, conjuring the fragility and vitality of the human spirit.