Fusion Afoot

[Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

"I took a long time discussing it with the dancers before we got started because I want to listen to their thoughts, which inspired me," says Wang, 25.

The dance is an imaginative world of youth, who express themselves through a humorous and straightforward movement style, says Wang.

"The White-Night represents two extreme situations, like black and white. It's also a work telling about making choices and breaking habits," says Wang.

In one scene of the dance, all nine dancers make movements in front of mirrors, free and improvisational.

Wang explains that it's a process of talking to yourself. "The other self in the mirror could be a subconscious self," he says. "It is not prepared. It just shows emotion at the moment."

The cutting-edge choreographer Wang also invited two friends, musician Li Tieqiao and art designer Zhang Zijian, to join hands, giving the audiences and the dancers an experience that combines visual, audio and body language.

Li is a saxophonist who has started the performance series Shengdong Jixi in 2007, a fusion of Eastern and Western musicians and their instruments. Li not only composed music for the show but also created several installations for the stage.

"One of the installations is a device which projects shadows on the wall. The shadows change shapes according to different sounds the device registers," Li says.

The choreographer describes Zhang, who has been a longtime friend of Wang, as a Net friend, now that they communicate a lot online rather than seeing each other.

Wang likes Zhang's oriental vision as a designer. He uses his romantic, quiet, and reserved approaches in the stage design for The White-Night.

"Music, design and dance all express emotions. We three people joining together is like the fusion of three different colors, which will be surprising and interesting," says Zhang.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn.