Na’er Dance Company to create a work entitled “Return”. In this piece, the endless flow of time and the eternal cycle of life and death will be physically embodied and expressed. UCCA is pleased to invite: Naersi‘, artisticdirector of Na’er Dance Company; Jiang Keyu, choreographer and dancer; Kevin, dancer;and Henriette Blakstad, a contemporary dance artist from Norway, to give 2 workshops on how inspiration in daily life can be gradually worked into a solid dance piece. These workshops will help participants to access a special kind of language, onethat is silent, and yet speaks at the same time.

Salon I: Language without Words

14:00 – 16:00, November 3^rd

When we talk about language, what usually comes to mind first is speech. In speech there is endless variation in tone of voice, inflection, emphasis and rhythm. These elements exist in physical movement, too. Physical movement can help us visualizemeaning in new ways, and sometimes, it can communicate even more effectively than words. In daily life, we are so accustomed to all of the little movements we make that we sometimes fail to see how much they reveal.

Activity 1: Begin to understand the shape of your body’smovement through spacewith the help of photograph and video documentation.

Activity 2: Get a sense for the ways in whichshifts in moodresult in differences in theforce, rhythm, and tone ofthe body’s movements.

Activity 3: Articulate and interpretselected contextsthroughmovement.

Activity 4: Q & A on the limits and capabilities of body language.

Salon II: The Body Speaks

14:00 – 16:00, November 10^th

Contemporary dance artist Henriette Blakstad from Norway will join us and share with us her understanding of the challenges of communication between two incompatible languages. The workshop will explore the many interesting ways in which we can communicate through means other than the spoken word.

Activity 1: Explore the different kinds of sounds the body itself can produce.

Activity 2: Notice how the body reactsdepending on different sounds we hear, from loud noise to various musical styles.

Activity 3: Explore the process of sending messages and communicating information through movement, accompanied by music or sound. Receive feedback from peers and open up into a discussion on the overall experience.

Naersi is an ethnic Mongolian who was raised in a Tibetan community, and a graduate of the Department of Modern Dance of the Beijing Dance Academy. In 2005, Naersi was invited to Cameroon, Africa, by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to work as the director and artistic director of the Cameroon National Dance Company. In Cameroon, Naersi successfully built up Central Africa's first true contemporary dance company by choreographing and presenting a number of significant works internationally. In 2009, Naersi returned to China to continue work on her own dance company- Na’er Dance Company. At Na'er Dance Company, her choreographies continue to stress the importance of inter-artist collaboration and stylistic melding. Naersi's works are characterized by her straightforward, candid style.

Na’er Dance Company, formerly known as Beijing 8 Dance Company, was founded in 2004 by Naersi. Through observation, experimentation, and reflection on physical expression and the flow of movement among different bodies, the company's works emphasize interaction and integration between differing cultures.

The Guangdong Dance Festival is an annual festival, which was first launched in Guangzhou in 2004. The Festival has successfully gained national and international recognition and is regarded as one of the most important dance festivals in China. It has been praised by the critics as the cultural brand of Guangdong Province. In 2012, the Festival was selected by Guangdong Provincial government for the Creative Industry Fund.

The Guangdong Dance Festival not only features the forefront international dance innovators, but also established and young emerging artists in China. Over the years, it has grown from a window of the latest trend in international dance development into a hub of Chinese contemporary dance development where new ideas are turned into reality. The Festival is unique in its achievement in enhancing exchanges and understanding; as well as the pursuance of excellence in modern dance creation.

Project Manager: Pan Di