Chinese-born American choreographer, visual artist and director (born 1968)
This article is about the Chinese-American choreographer, painter, and artistic director. For the Chinese-born American visual artist, see Shen Wei (artist).
Shen's multidisciplinary work incorporates dance, painting, sound, sculpture, theater, and video.[2] Critics have highlighted his syncretic style, combining elements of Eastern and Western aesthetics and blending performance art with visual installation.[3][4]
His original movement technique, which he terms "Natural Body Development," emphasizes breath, proprioception, and fluidity.[5] Since 2011, Shen has expanded his practice to include large-scale multimedia productions integrating installation art, video, and animation.[6][7]
Shen Wei's honors include the Nijinsky Award for Emerging Choreographer (2004), a MacArthur Fellowship (2007), and the Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement (2022).[9]
At the age of nine, Shen enrolled at the Hunan Arts School (now Hunan Vocational College of the Arts) to study traditional Chinese opera. From 1978 to 1984, he trained in voice, movement, and stage performance. Alongside this, he developed skills in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. Between 1984 and 1989, he performed lead roles with the Hunan State Xian Opera Company.[12]
In 1991, Shen became one of the founding members of the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, the first professional modern dance ensemble in China.[15] He worked with the company as a choreographer and performer until 1994.
Early works
In the early 1990s, Shen Wei produced over ten original dance works and created numerous oil paintings, reflecting his interdisciplinary artistic approach. Notable choreographed pieces for the Guangdong Modern Dance Company included Still Child, Racing With the Sun, Colored Relations, and Insomnia, several of which entered the company's active repertory. His experimental style positioned him among the early pioneers of avant-garde performance art in China.
In 1994, Shen premiered a solo multimedia production titled Small Room, which toured in Guangzhou, Beijing, and Hong Kong. That same year, he was awarded First Prize in both choreography and performance at the National Modern Dance Competition in China.
Career
Early New York life and work (1995–1999)
In January 1995, Shen Wei moved to New York City after receiving a three-month scholarship from the Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab. Over the next five years, he engaged in artistic experimentation influenced by filmmakers and artists such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Federico Fellini, Mark Rothko, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Igor Stravinsky, and Steve Reich. He also explored release techniques in dance, which informed the early development of his signature choreographic style.
Shen Wei describes himself as an artist deeply engaged with the human body as a medium of expression.[16] In a 2011 interview with Bloomberg, he stated that "dancers should show expression through their body movement. They're not actors."
He developed a choreographic method called "Natural Body Development," which integrates breath, proprioception, visual focus, weight, and gravity into the movement process. Shen emphasizes that movement can originate from breath or internal energy (chi), and that external and internal energies continuously interact through the body. He challenges dualistic philosophies, advocating that dancers develop both their physical and mental capacities. "I don't use dancers to copy movement," he said. "Human beings are not just puppets. A dancer has to have a really open mind and be willing to take a risk."
Shen's creative process often includes structured improvisation, encouraging performers to explore intuitive responses within choreographic frameworks. His 2003 work Rite of Spring incorporates guided improvisations that result in a balance between choreographic structure and spontaneous movement.[17]
In discussing his artistic motivation, Shen has stated that his primary goal is to inspire others. He has emphasized the importance of innovation, clarity, and emotional connection, remarking: "When you're an artist... you want to make things that have never existed before... you want people to feel these things are new, make them communicate, become part of the culture, and to inspire other human beings."
A series of Paintings created in conjunction with his abstracted Rite of Spring was first exhibited as part of the company's New York City debut at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2003
Exhibition-Solo Exhibition and Installation Performance (2012)
Mana Contemporary in New Jersey, USA. March 11– June 11, 2012
The New You (2012)
World Premiere: The Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
Concept, Direction, Choreography and Visual Design: Shen Wei
Carmina Burana (2013)
World Premiere: Teatro San Carlo, Napoli, Italy
Concept, Choreography, and Direction: Shen Wei
Program Carl Orff: Carmina Burana / Anonymous, Four Cantiones profanae (orchestrated by Jordi Bernácer)
Director of Music: Jordi Bernácer
Chorus Master: Salvatore Caputo
Director of Ballet: Alessandra Panzavolta
Director of Children's Choir: Stefania Rinaldi
Sets and costumes: Shen Wei
Angela Nisi, soprano; Valdis Jansons, baritone; Ilham Nazarov, countertenor
Soloists from Shen Wei Dance Arts: Cecily Campbell, Cynthia Koppe, Evan Copeland, Alex Dean Speedie
Orchestra, Choir, Ballet and Children's Choir of the Teatro di San Carlo
Sacre Du Printemps (2013)
World Premiere: The Amsterdam Music Theatre
Commissioned and Performed by: Dutch National Ballet
Choreography, Set, and Costumes: Shen Wei
Music: Igor Stravinsky, Le Sacre du Printemps
Accompaniment: Holland Symfonia conducted by Matthew Rowe
Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition – "Shen Wei: In Black, White and Gray (2014)
Miami Dade College Museum of Art + Design in Miami, Florida. December 5, 2014– February 1, 2015
11 paintings, oil and acrylic on canvas
Untitled No. 12 – 1 (2014, 2016)
Concept, Choreography, Costumes: Shen Wei
Sound Design: Metronome Collage by Shen Wei, played live by dancers
Performed alongside painting exhibition, Shen Wei: In Black, White and Gray, at Miami Dade College Museum of Art + Design 2014
Performed alongside painting exhibition, Shen Wei: Dance Strokes, at Asia Society Hong Kong Centre 2016
Untitled No 12 – 2 (2015)
Concept, Choreography, Direction, Set and Costumes: Shen Wei
Music: Echoes from the Gorge, Chou Wen-chung
Sound Design: Metronome Collage by Shen Wei, played live by dancers
Lighting Design: Christina Watanabe-Jensen
Projection Images: Selections from Black, White, and Gray painting series by Shen Wei
Projection Realization: Rocco DiSanti
Commission: Spoleto Festival USA, American Dance Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music
Exhibition-Solo Painting Exhibition – "Shen Wei In Black, White and Gray (2015)
The Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, Arizona. October 9– December 6, 2015
5 paintings, oil and acrylic on canvas
Hosted simultaneously with Shen Wei Dance Arts performance
Exhibition-Group Painting Exhibition – "Performance and Remnant (2015)
The Fine Art Society, London, UK. October 9– 31, 2015
3 paintings, oil and acrylic on canvas
Other artists included: Justin Davis Anderson, Jo Broughton, Ori Gersht, John Giorno, Andy Goldsworthy, Rashaad Newsome, Michael Petry, and Geraldine Swayne
