Standing Before Darkness - An exhilarating new work by China's most exciting choreographer.
Date: May 6 - May7, 19:30
Venue: MF Theatre-NCPA
Choreographer: Sang Jijia
"The company doesn't merely dance splendidly, it dances ferociously."
Los Angeles Times
How much can we know about those around us?
Standing Before Darkness is a world premier by Tibetan Choreographer, Sang Jijia, and will be the opening performance for The 3rd Annual Beijing Modern Dance Festival. As BeijingDance / LDTX’s resident choreographer, this is the second work he has created for the company. This work demonstrates Sang Jijia’s unique style in which he ruminates on the dancers’ bodies and combines their brilliant technicality and pedestrian movements to evoke extreme psychological tension and asymmetry. During the performance, the dancers will be accompanied by live electronic music composed and played by an accomplished Hong Kongese musician, Dickson Lee.
Sang Jijia
An ethnic Tibetan born in Gansu, Sang Jijia graduated from the Beijing Central University for Nationalities and was a dancer with Guangdong Modern Dance Company from 1993 to 1998. He won the Gold Medal in the Modern Dance section of the Paris International Dance Competition in 1996 and was hailed as “The Star of the Century” by the Guangdong Provincial Government in 1997. He was awarded the Asian Cultural Council Scholarship and American Dance Festival Scholarship in 1998 and 1999 respectively. He was a dancer of City Contemporary Dance Company (Hong Kong) from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, Sang was chosen by the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative to study choreography under William Forsythe in Germany and stayed with the Ballet Frankfurt and the Forsythe Company as assistant choreographer and dancer until 2006. Sang has collaborated with leading choreographers around the globe. Sang Jijia is currently the Resident Artist of BeijingDance / LDTX. His major works include 365 Ways of Doing and Undoing Orientalism (Co-choreographed with Willy Tsao and Xing Liang), Unspeakable for BeijingDance / LDTX and Sticks for Guangdong Modern Dance Company, and As if for Nothing for the City Contemporary Dance Company (Hong Kong). These works demonstrate Sang Jijia’s unique style in which he ruminates on the dancers’ body and combines their brilliant technicality and pedestrian movements to evoke extreme psychological tension and asymmetry.
BeijingDance / LDTX
The birth of BeijingDance / LDTX (Lei Dong Tian Xia , literally translated as Thunder Rumbles Under Heaven) in September of 2005 not only caught widespread international attention, but also captured the imagination of many artists in China. BeijingDance / LDTX was born out of a controversial and exciting time of rapid cultural change in China, becoming China’s first professional dance company founded independently from government.
Founded by veteran choreographers and a new generation of dancers in China, BeijingDance / LDTX is a platform for contemporary creations. Under the artistic direction of Willy Tsao, China’s foremost figure in modern dance, and deputy artistic director Li Hanzhong, the company boasts an ensemble technically exquisite dancers and a diverse repertoire. Based in China’s capital, BeijingDance / LDTX serves as both a leader and a catalyst for the modern and contemporary dance and dance appreciation movement. In June 2009, the company founded LDTX II in order to further nurture young talents. By presenting new choreographers and providing platforms for developing artists, BeijingDance / LDTX pioneers China’s most cutting edge choreography.
Since it’s creation in 2005, BeijingDance / LDTX has traveled extensively throughout Mainland China, Hong Kong, Europe and North America. The company has participated in many cooperate and commercial engagements in China and is available for hire. In addition, BeijingDance / LDTX hosts the annual Beijing Modern Dance Festival, which brings the world’s most innovative work to the nation’s capital. Through performance seasons, educational programs, technique classes, and outreach activities, BeijingDance / LDTX attracts aspiring dancers and artists to contemporary dance and serves as an important voice in the evolution of modern Chinese thought and society.
