November 2013 will mark the 5th anniversary of “Yabin & Her Friends,” a dance project conceived and produced annually by renowned Chinese dance artist, choreographer, and producer Yabin Wang.

The project began some five years ago at the Nine Theater in Chaoyang, Beijing, with the simple aim to “build a platform that aggregates the best dancers, choreographers, and artists in related fields to produce the best quality production and performance in China.” Since then, the production has enrolled nearly a hundred artists, including choreographers, dancers, composers, musicians, stage designers, and costume designers.

In this UCCA workshop, Yabin Wang and her collaborator Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui will introduce their project Genesis, sharing their experience making their new, innovative work.

On November 14th and 15th, a new production, Genesis, will be presented at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. The performance marks the premiere of the work’s global tour.

Genesis centers on trees and other species in their organic growth. Collaborator Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s interest in roots, branches, fractals, and cell division as processes of movement is not new. “To me,” he describes, “it’s a ‘divide and conquer’ way of developing your spirit, your family, your love life—dividing in order to reach further, to gain a sense of territory. For me, trees offer a perfect model for that phenomenon—not always knowing where to go, but knowing you need to grow.” The project encapsulates that which dancers, trees, and flora all have in common: the need to push forward, to occupy space but also interact with the environment they inhabit.

Genesis will see the reunion of several talented creative partners. Barbara Drazkowska’s piano performance will be one of the work’s central elements. Complementing the live instrumentation will be Olga Wojciechowska’s electronic score. Also participating in the project are lighting designer Willy Cessa; expressionistic scenery designer Liu Kedong, and costume designer Li Qing.

Reservation required.

Please call +86 10 5780 0200 from Tuesday to Friday 11:00-18:00 to book. Please note that you may only book one seat at a time. Members can also book by sending an email to members@159.138.20.147.

Note:

*If you make a reservation but cannot make it to the event, please cancel by calling +86 10 57800200.

*No late entry.

Born in Tianjin, Yabin Wang began her study of dance at the age of nine. She majored in Chinese classical dance and trained in both ballet and contemporary dance. She was one of the principal dancers at Beijing Dance Academy’s Young Dancers Group. She has won numerous top prizes in Chinese dance competitions. Cultural exchange programs have also enabled her to perform at the Lincoln Center (New York), Bolshoi Theatre (Moscow), and Palace of Nations (Geneva). She has gained a reputation as the most promising and pioneering choreographer, dancer, and producer of contemporary dance in China.

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s debuted as a choreographer in 1999 with Andrew Wale’s contemporary musical Anonymous Society. Since then, he has made more than twenty choreographic pieces and picked up a slew of prestigious awards. In 2008, Sadler’s Wells Theatre named him as an associate artist, and since 2010 he has served as artistic director of the Equilibrio Dance Festival in Rome.

Yabin Studio was founded by Yabin Wang in 2009. Each year the studio produces a dance performance under the brand Yabin & Her Friends. Her studio produces full-length dance programs, commissioning choreographers from the US, Europe, and China to create new work.

Yabin & Her Friends serves as an artistic platform, engaging renowned choreographers such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Sanjijia, Fei Bo, and Mark Haim; composers Zhou Long, Wenzi, the rock band Tang Dynasty; and over 20 top dancers and scores of artists from all over China.

Embassy of Belgium in China