Beijing Modern Dance Company

Published Friday 15 February 2008 at 12:05 by Gavin Roebuck

This is the company’s first visit to London and with two decades of development since the country’s reforms in the late eighties, Chinese modern dance is still a fairly young art form.

The choreography presented draws upon a broad range of rich traditions from Chinese folk dance and martial arts to classical dance.

Gao Yanjinzi, creative director and resident choreographer, reflects on a Buddhist upbringing, and incorporates sacred images, gestures and symbols in this work which doesn’t always immediately communicate their meaning to a western audience, even though it mixes traditional and modern aspects of Chinese and Western cultures. Set to a modern remix of traditional Peking Opera music Oath - Midnight Rain is a series of solos drawing upon philosophies of rebirth and the balancing traditions of Yin and Yang which gives the excellent dancers an opportunity to show their personal strengths as they express the imaginary inner feelings of a flower, bird, fish, insect and grass.

In contrast, the short work Unfettered Journey by choreographer and dancer Hu Lei, is performed by the whole company as an ensemble piece.

Drawing inspiration from Taoism, the earliest Chinese philosophy, Unfettered Journey is a rough translation of “xiao yao you”, meaning a journey without a deliberate goal or end.

The performers names were listed but despite a request to do so, ROH2 gave no information as to who danced what. Late starting, this show was perhaps more interesting than exhilarating.