Rising from the ashes

Xie's own journey began in Ji'an, Jiangxi province, where she was born in 1985. Taught traditional Chinese dance by her mother, she initially resisted a dancer's path, but was later drawn to the expressive power of movement. In 2004, she graduated as a contemporary dancer from the Guangdong Dance School and worked with contemporary dance theaters that include the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, the Jin Xing Dance Theatre and Beijing Dance/LDTX. In 2014, she founded her own theater, Xiexin Dance Theatre. As a choreographer, Xie has won a number of awards, including the Golden Award of the Premio Roma Danza 2015 in Italy, and the gold award at the Seoul International Dance Competition in 2016 in South Korea.

Since its inception, Xiexin Dance Theatre has been known for its bold exploration of movement, emotion and cultural dialogue. The company has developed a unique style that fuses the abstract language of contemporary dance with the rich emotional resonance of Chinese narratives. Over the years, the company has gained recognition both in China and abroad, performing at prestigious festivals and collaborating with renowned artists and institutions.

As Xie looks to the future, she remains dedicated to pushing boundaries. With the new dance studio, she also aims at inviting international choreographers to work with Chinese dancers, as well as offering dance training to young people.

"We've only just begun to discover our full potential," she says. "Each piece is a challenge, a chance to push deeper, to grow stronger, to move further."