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16 & 17

TAO Dance Theater
Wed 4 Mar / 19:45 - 21:00
Wed 4 Mar ’26
19:45 - 21:00
  • Wed 4 Mar ’26
    19:45 - 21:00
    Danstheater
    Tickets

TAO Dance Theater presents two new works within the Series of Numbers, with 16 and 17 together forming one complete performance. The works are part of Tao Ye’s Numerical Series, which has been presented across five continents, in more than 40 countries and at over 100 different arts festivals. Now shown at Amare for the first time.

16 is the fifteenth work in choreographer Tao Ye’s Numerical Series. Inspired by the traditional Chinese Loong dance (dragon dance), it presents a curved line of 16 dancers who move and gesture to transmit energy from beginning to end. Through a dynamic use of space, the dancers move like a dragon: their spines drill, pass, follow, twist, and coil, guiding arms and legs in a dance that remains in harmony with the body’s center of gravity.

As 2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in China, 16 explores the flexibility of Eastern physicality, with the hope of bringing good fortune for the new year. 17, the sixteenth work in the Numerical Series, follows on from 7 and continues the experiment between sound and bodily movement. The concept emerges from the visual language created by tonal motion, whose fluctuations and linear progression are both auditory and physical. Seventeen dancers disperse and regroup in what appears to be a chaotic manner.

Sounds accompany every movement: falling with “hm,” suppression with “ng,” and surprise with “ah”… Because the movements are always synchronized with the sounds, a play between two languages in counterpoint emerges. This results in a multiplicity of hybrid and unconventional relationships. The resonance between sound and physicality seeks to evoke profound dramatic and theatrical effects.

Cloakroom and drink  
Cloakroom and an intermission drink are included. If the event does not have an intermission, you will receive the drink afterwards.  

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About Tao Ye 
Born in Chongqing, graduated from Chongqing Dance School. He once performed as a dancer in the Art Troupe of the Political Department of the Shanghai Armed Police Force, Shanghai Jin Xing Dance Theatre and Beijing Modern Dance Company. At the age of 23, he founded TAO Dance Theater. Inspired by oriental thoughts, he created the Circular Movement System and Numerical Series performance including sixteen productions, Infinity Series performance Contrast, and Artistic Site performance such as The Twelve Hours, Infinite Walk, and The World of Movements. He was selected as one of the six choreographers in the world by the Sadler's Wells institution in the UK for its New Wave Associates program. As a guest choreographer, he has been commissioned by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and the Netherlands Dance Theatre 1 (NDT 1) to create dance performance. He has participated in many cross-border artistic creations in theatre, fashion and video. In 2023, he won the Silver Lion Award for Dance at the Venice Biennale.

About Duan Ni
Born in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Duan Ni once trained at Shaanxi Art School and the Modern Dance Choreography Class (Guangdong Class) of Beijing Dance Academy, founded by Ms. Yang Meiqi, a renowned Chinese dance educator and the former director (founder) of Guangdong Modern Dance Company. During her school years, she received the ACC scholarship and went to the American Dance Festival for study and communication. She was the first to systematically teach the "release technique" in China, and her cutting-edge teaching concepts subverted the established concepts of body movement among Chinese dancers. She has performed as a dancer with Jin Xing Dance Theatre in Shanghai, Akram Khan Company in London, and Shen Wei Dance Arts in New York. In 2008, she became the founding dancer and artistic director of TAO Dance Theater. She has performed at the world-famous performance art venue, the Lincoln Center in New York, three times with different dance companies, and has been featured in The New York Times three times, receiving high praise such as "extraordinarily powerful, awe-inspiring, and with extremely strong control. In 2023, she won the Silver Lion Award for Dance at the Venice Biennale.

Credits

16 17

choreography Tao Ye
dancers
Xu Fujin
Tong Yusheng
Liu Yiren
Cheng Leting
Li Jiayu
Wu Zhenkai
Lu Wenchao
Wang Jingping
Jia Lixue
Zhang Xi
Lee Yuyun
Bian Yifei
Jiao Xuexu
Gao Yanrui
Xiong Shuai
Zhao Xueyi
Huang Jiabin
composer Xiao He
costume design Duan Ni
costume production DNTY
lighting design Tao Ye
technical director &lighting technician Dong Huoliang
co-production La Biennale di Venezia
with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels

choreography Tao Ye
dancers
Xu Fujin
Tong Yusheng
Liu Yiren
Cheng Leting
Li Jiayu
Wu Zhenkai
Lu Wenchao
Wang Jingping
Jia Lixue
Zhang Xi
Lee Yuyun
Bian Yifei
Jiao Xuexu
Gao Yanrui
Xiong Shuai
Zhao Xueyi
Huang Jiabin
sound concept Tao Ye
sounds Dancers of TAO Dance Theater
sound creation Cheng Leting & Wu Zhenkai
costume design Duan Ni
costume production DNTY
lighting design Tao Ye
technical director &lighting technician Dong Huoliang
co-production La Biennale di Venezia
with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
 
 

 

Ooievaarspas discount  
Ooievaarspas holders are eligible for a discount on the ticket price for this concert. To book tickets, we need to see your Ooievaarspas for registration purposes. Please contact our booking office to book your tickets.  

Amare Stories

Dance

The dance offering in Amare is versatile, colorful and startling. Not surprising when you consider that Amare comes from the Lucent Danstheater and Zuiderstrandtheater and has the Nederlands Dans Theater as its house company. Here is a selection from the rich dance programme.

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